News Room

News Release

	Contact:
December 1, 2008	Mark S. Cox, APR Director of Public Communications 382-6241 (WK)
	-- or --
For immediate release	Lizz Gunnufsen Public Communications Coordinator 382-6241 (WK)

CHESAPEAKE CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING AND PARADE

CHESAPEAKE - Mayor Alan P. Krasnoff, members of the Chesapeake City Council, and other City officials will light the City Hall Christmas tree and decorations during the 39th Annual Chesapeake Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, December 6, at 5:00 p.m., in front of City Hall, 306 Cedar Road.

The Tree Lighting Ceremony precedes the Great Bridge Jaycees' annual Christmas Parade. The parade will start at approximately 6:00 p.m., at Colon L. Hall Stadium on Mt. Pleasant Road.

Both events will be televised live on WCTV-48 and re-telecast on Sunday, December 7 at 4:00 p.m.; Friday, December 12, at 6:30 p.m.; and Saturday, December 13, at 5:00 p.m.  More dates and times will be added throughout the month of December.

Ricky Rudd, former NASCAR driver, will be the Parade Grand Marshall and will make an appearance at the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

The parade starts at Colon L. Hall Stadium on Mt. Pleasant Road. It proceeds along Mt. Pleasant Road, turns right onto Battlefield Boulevard, turns left onto Cedar Road, then right onto Polly Miller Circle.  The holiday parade ends on Shea Drive in the City's Municipal Center. Detailed road closure and detour information is attached, but in general, the roads included in the parade route will be closed from approximately 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Motorists traveling north or south on Battlefield Boulevard should use the Great Bridge by-pass to avoid detours. Northbound Battlefield Boulevard traffic heading to Cedar Road will be detoured via Johnstown Road to Britwell Road to Briarfield Drive to Cedar Road. Southbound traffic heading to Cedar Road will be detoured via Albemarle Drive to Holt Drive and then onto Cedar Road.  Access to the Great Bridge Shopping Center will be via southbound Battlefield Boulevard just north of the Cedar Road intersection.  Shopping center customers are asked to use the left lane.

Points of contact:

Tree Lighting: Parks and Recreation Department, 382-6411.
Christmas Parade: Great Bridge Jaycees, 456-1589.
WCTV-48 Coverage: Public Communications, 382-6241.
Road closures: Customer Contact Center, 382-2489

The street closure schedule and access routes to nearby facilities during the parade are attached.

GREAT BRIDGE JAYCEES
CHRISTMAS PARADE
AND CITY OF CHESAPEAKE
CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY

STREET CLOSURE SCHEDULE

Roads Closed to all Traffic at 4:15 PM to Approximately 8:30 PM:

EASTBOUND LANES OF MT. PLEASANT ROAD
(There will be two-way traffic on westbound lanes of Mt. Pleasant Road)

Roads Closed to Through Traffic at 4:30 PM to Approximately 8:30 PM:

SHEA DRIVE:             From Albemarle Drive to Holt Drive
POLLY MILLER CIRCLE:     From Cedar Road to Shea Drive
CONQUEST DRIVE:              From Cedar Road to Shea Drive

Roads Closed to Through Traffic at 5:00 PM to Approximately 8:30 PM:

WILSON DRIVE:                               From Albemarle Drive to Cedar Road
HALL DRIVE:                         From Albemarle Drive to Cedar Road
MANN DRIVE:                                   From Albemarle Drive to Cedar Road
OLD DRIVE:                                       From Victoria Drive to Battlefield Blvd.
VICTORIA DRIVE:                            From Old Drive to Cedar Road
BARTLETT DRIVE:                            From Old Drive to Cedar Road

(*NOTE: Residents will have access to their homes via Albemarle Drive or Old Drive)

Roads Closed to All Traffic at 5:40 PM to Approximately 8:30 PM

BATTLEFIELD BLVD.:                      From Mt. Pleasant Road to Cedar Road
CEDAR ROAD:                                  From Battlefield Blvd. to Holt Drive
MT. PLEASANT ROAD:      From Stadium Drive to Battlefield Blvd.

Access to Other Facilities:

CHESAPEAKE CENTRAL LIBRARY:

Should be accessed by Albemarle Drive, with parking in the Juvenile Court parking lot.

GREAT BRIDGE PLAZA SHOPPING CENTER and FARM FRESH:

Southbound traffic between the Chesapeake and Albemarle Canal and Cedar Road will be allowed to proceed along Battlefield Boulevard to the traffic signal at the shopping center entrance; access to Farm Fresh will be through the shopping center parking lot from the signalized entrance.

WILSON VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER:

Traffic will have access to the shopping center from Johnstown Road.

7-11, TOWN & COUNTRY PLAZA, and FRY BASKET:

Traffic will have access via Old Drive.

OTHER:

Businesses along Battlefield Boulevard north of Cedar Road will have access from Battlefield Boulevard.