Hadley Elementary Chorus members Elizabeth Rotunno, center, 11, and Lily Ellia, right, 10, join the Hopkins Academy Chorus in singing carols during the second annual Celebration of Lights held at the Hopkins Memorial Park gazebo on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018.
Hadley Elementary Chorus members Elizabeth Rotunno, center, 11, and Lily Ellia, right, 10, join the Hopkins Academy Chorus in singing carols during the second annual Celebration of Lights held at the Hopkins Memorial Park gazebo on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018. Credit: —STAFF PHOTO/KEVIN GUTTING

HADLEY –

Nearly 200 people gathered around the gazebo in Hopkins Memorial Park, in front of Hopkins Academy on Russell Street, to take part in the second annual Celebration of Lights on Saturday evening. A floodlight from the ladder of Hadley Fire Engine No. 1 illuminating the scene was shut off briefly as a live tree, planted in memory of Peter Wanczyk of Wanczyk Nursery, was lit to begin the festivities. As the lights returned, Hopkins Academy Chorus Director Evan Bartlett and Hadley Elementary Chorus Director Marilyn Brayne lead their students and the crowd in singing carols for about 20 minutes, finishing with “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”