Photos & Story by Sterling Paris

On Friday night (Dec. 5) at Big Catch Plaza, colorful lights lit up all around the Des Moines Christmas Tree to a crowd of around 450 people, the largest in a long time.

Hosted by Destination Des Moines, with help from John L Scott Real Estate, cookies and hot chocolate were served and glow sticks were sold for donations.

At 6 p.m. on the dot Rodney Olsen, the music instructor of Des Moines Elementary School, conducted his 6th grade band with the help from band students of Pacific Middle School and Mount Rainier High School.

“I have been bringing students here to play for the past 10 years and they all seem to love it,” Olsen said.

Friday was not too cold – unlike previous years – and everyone bundled up in warm clothes big or small, singing songs and waiting for Santa to light our tree.

This year was the first lighting of our new tree.

Next thing you knew Santa was standing at the foot of the tree ready to light it up. Everyone counted down from 5 and the estimated 25-foot tree lit up in green, red, blue, orange and pink with a nice white star on the top to finish it off.

Afterwords, parents had signed up while waiting to have their kids’ pictures taken with Santa.

All and all this year was one of the best – all the cookies were gone!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Please welcome our newest Big Picture High School Intern – Sterling Paris – to The Waterland Blog and South King Media!

Sterling is the latest in our long line of industrious bright young students, and she’ll be creating art, photography, writing stories and much more for our blogs (and perhaps even SoKing Internet Radio) over this school year.

She lives in Des Moines, and you may recognize her from her face-painting booth at the Des Moines Farmers Market, where she’s been working for the last six years.

“Hi, I’m Sterling!

“I’m the Blog’s new intern! You can find me taking the bus or walking the streets or at the news’ next big thing. I’m a little blonde girl wearing either all black or a dress. So please say hi to me on the streets, I’m really friendly and love to smile so I assure you I don’t bite!”

She is our fourth Intern from Big Picture, and we’re excited to have her on board.