Occoquan Heralds the Holidays

Occoquan, Va. — The ghosts of Christmas were alive and about in Occoquan on Friday night.

A crowd of about 150 outside stood outside town hall on Mill Street for the annual lighting of the town’s Christmas tree. They helped to countdown from five the seconds until the button was pushed to light the tree.

Once the crowd reached “one,” a child pushed the button to light the tree but it didn’t light up. The crowd waited patiently as Mayor Earnie Porta and others tried to find out what caused the problem, and then, the tree suddenly turned on to cheers from the crowd.

The cause of the problem: a blown circuit breaker inside town hall, said Porta. But, it’s important to note town hall sits not far from the fabled Rockledge Mansion, where ghosts have been known to roam.

With the tree now lit, the little episode added to the magic that is ringing in the holiday season in Occoquan.

“Now, the group that we really need to thank, and the group we need to thank all year, is all of you,” Porta told the crowd. “Without you, not only our tree lighting wouldn’t be successful but our businesses wouldn’t be successful.”

A group of town residents volunteered to decorate the Christmas tree, and Salvation Army bell ringers stood along the streets Friday night to help get people into the holiday spirit while collecting for charity.

Businesses in town also got into the holiday spirit holding an open house, where the small shops remained open until 8 p.m. welcoming residents and those from out of town, showing them their wares.

“We are rarely this busy on a Friday night, and this has been a great way for us to meet so many new people,” said Kathy Alden of Spiral Creations in Occoquan.