More than 200 Rider students, faculty and staff gathered on the Moore Library steps on November 29 to kick-off the holiday season, as the Cranberry King Travarus Fauntleroy and Queen Maria Panvini assisted the Rider Bronc in illuminating the 35,000 lights that will brighten the campus and the spirit of the Rider community throughout the remainder of the semester.

As the lights shone, the crowd sipped hot chocolate and hot cider while enjoying the beautiful harmonies of nearly a dozen students from the Westminster Choir who entertained with holiday carols.

Cassie Iacovelli, assistant dean of campus life, organized the tree-lighting event. “A lot of people worked very hard in setting up the lights and making sure that it turned out as beautifully as it did,” said Iacovelli. “Because of their efforts, the many visitors who will see the lights over the next month will undoubtedly get that same positive feeling that we all experienced during the ceremony.”

“There has always been something special about decorating for the holidays,” President Mordechai Rozanski said. “It is a magic that you can feel throughout our community from the minute these lights are turned on. I was very pleased to see so many of our students get together, enjoy the ceremony and share holiday cheer.”