U.S. Olympic gold medalists joined Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, to flip the
switch on 30,000 tree lights and shine the spotlight on one million brilliant
facets of the new Swarovski crystal star at its summit
NEW YORK, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- At the two-hour long 72nd Annual
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony tonight, Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg and Olympians Paul Hamm, Carly Patterson and Sarah Hughes officially
ushered in the holiday season and welcomed a bright new star into their midst;
the first Swarovski Star.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041130/NYTU128 )
Several hundred thousand New Yorkers and visitors crammed into Rockefeller
Center and surrounding streets to catch a glimpse of the 9-ton, 71 foot high
Norway Spruce and its stunning new 550-lb 10 foot wide crystal star at 8:56PM
as 30,000 tree lights burst into color and 25,000 crystals sent out brilliant
rays of dazzling light into the night sky.
The tree and star lighting ceremony was highlighted by the NBC-TV
spectacular, hosted by Al Roker and Nancy O'Dell, with performances by Hillary
Duff, "American Idol" Clay Aiken, Tony Bennett, Chris Isaak, Michael Buble,
Kenny Chesney, Vanessa Williams, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Chicago, the Radio City
Rockettes and a duet with Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.
At the base of the tree, visitors to Rockefeller Center will be able to
visit an exact replica of the new Star, created by Swarovski, the world's
leading manufacturer of cut crystal. Swarovski has also produced a special
Rockefeller Center Collection of holiday crystal jewelry and ornaments, which
will be on sale both at a booth within Rockefeller Center and at Swarovski
stores nationally, allowing visitors to take a piece of the magic home. The
commemorative collection includes two crystal pins, including one of the
famous tree and its star, and the best-selling Swarovski Annual Edition
Ornament, which inspired the design of the new Swarovski Star.
In an effort to light up the lives of others, as well as the tree, this
holiday season, Swarovski has donated $25,000 to grant the wishes of children
with life-threatening medical conditions from the Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) of
Metro New York. In addition, from November 16, 2004 through December 25, 2004,
Swarovski will raise money and contribute to the Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) of
America by organizing and promoting a fund-raising program in all 59 Swarovski
stores nationwide.
The Lighting Ceremony was televised live, locally on WNBC-TV from 7-8PM
and nationally on NBC from 8-9PM.
Spectators can view the Swarovski Star and the lighted tree each day from
December 1st -January 6th (5:30 AM-11:30 PM); all day on Christmas (24 hours);
and from 5:30 AM-9 PM on New Year's Eve.
http://www.cairnsny.com/swarovski/rockcentcollection/rockcentcollection.html
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