The Amherst BID and Amherst Area Chamber are excited to announce the celebration of the Lighting of the Merry Maple on Friday, December 4, from 4:30 to 6 p.m in a live-streamed broadcast of the tree lighting, with Santa Claus arriving in horse-drawn carriage to countdown and light up the maple at 5 pm for winter. The illumination kicks off an hour of special recorded events, including: the UMass Minuteman Marching Band performing Santa Claus is Coming to Town; singer Ilana Morris winner of the Amherst Center Cultural District’s Artist Contest for Song/Dance, will perform a rendition of Ariana Grande’s Winter Things, Madeline Bonn of Amherst Ballet will supervise filming of a student Sydney Mager performing The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairyfrom The Nutcracker, and nationally recognized local author Tony DeTerlizzi, of the Spiderwick Chroniclesfame, will read from his book The Broken Ornament.