Community Notebook: Christmas Tree Lighting Saturday; Free Legal Advice in January

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Join your fellow Historic Triangle citizens on Christmas Eve for the annual Tree Lighting, cosponsored by Colonial Williamsburg and the Kiwanis Club since 1959. It’s free and open to the public. Next month, the Community Action Agency will provide free legal consultations for those who qualify financially. Click below to learn more.

CW Hosts Community Tree Lighting Saturday

Colonial Williamsburg will host a community Christmas Tree lighting on Saturday.

The annual ceremony will include a special reading and traditional carols, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Market Square. The community is invited to gather at the Courthouse on Duke of Gloucester Street for the special program.

Prior to the tree lighting, the Christmas guns will be fired at 5 p.m. During the 18th century, it was customary for guns to be fired in salute of the holiday season.

Members of the Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg will participate in the tree lighting ceremony, and Mayor Clyde Haulman will officially flip the switch to the evergreen tree’s 6,000 lights.

The Christmas Tree lighting has been cosponsored by CW and the Kiwanis Club since 1959. It is free and open to the public.

Community Action Agency Offers Free Legal Consultation

Residents of Williamsburg, James City County and Upper York County can qualify for free legal consultation if they meet financial criteria.

Through a partnership between the Williamsburg Bar Association and the Community Action Agency, services will be provided from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 12 at Warhill High School.

Law services include: uncontested divorce, landlord/tenant and real property, employment law, immigration law, child custody and support, consumer law, will/estate law, bankruptcy, Medicaid, protective orders, social security, wills and estate planning, restoration of driving privileges, restoration of civil rights, domestic relations and voting rights.

Residents hoping to use the service will have to provide information about wages and other property they own. Information is confidential and walk-ins will be accepted, but there is no guarantee that walk-ins will be seen. To set an appointment, call Yvonne or Linda at (757) 229-9332.

Local Residents Named to Boards, Commissions

Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed Ginny Snead, of Williamsburg, to the Virginia Water Resources Research Center Statewide Advisory Board. Snead is the regulatory programs manager for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s stormwater management division.

On Dec. 16, First Lady Maureen McDonnell gave an Opportunity Seal of Approval to Beyond Boobs. The Opportunity Seal of Approval recognizes Virginians “doing great works of charity and sacrifice every day.”