MEDINA – The brightest time of the year kicked off in the city during the annual Candlelight Walk weekend on Public Square, which always includes a lighting ceremony, parade bringing in Santa Claus and the chance to see surrounding businesses decorated for the season.

The 32nd installment kicked off Nov. 18 with weather that felt more like mid-September than the week before Thanksgiving. Before the official lighting ceremony, volunteers helped light the hundreds of luminarias around the square and surrounding streets and members of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church sang carols in the gazebo.

Mayor Dennis Hanwell, who led the lighting ceremony, said before turning the light switch that this event is one of the things that makes Medina a special place in the region and country.

Surrounding him in the gazebo in front of the tree were city councilmen, department heads and family members, including Hanwell’s daughter, Nicole Baisden, and granddaughter, Madison, who, at 11 months old, was attending her first Candlelight Walk.

“It was also my granddaughter Madison’s first tree lighting,” Hanwell said. “It was great to have her there and taking part in lighting of the square with me. She seemed to enjoy it and took in all the attention.”

The year’s gazebo tree, standing at 13 feet, 7 inches tall, is a Norway Spruce donated by Davis Tree Farm and cut down in the Loudonville area. Jansen Wehrley, city parks director, said he looked at several potential trees in the city and surrounding area, but none of the local trees this year had the fullness he was looking for.

The tree and square were decorated the Sunday before by volunteers and local groups, including Boy Scouts, members of Medina Breakfast Kiwanis and the local Odd Fellows chapter.

City employees and contractors started installing lights on and around businesses and the square about three weeks ago, said Wehrley, while supervising the installation of the hut where Santa Claus sees children the morning of Nov. 18. New this year was the installation of lasers on the four corners of the square, with those walking towards the gazebo seeing spinning green dots on the ground in front of them.

Candlelight Walk is put on by community business organization Main Street Medina. New Executive Director Jeremy Levine, who started on the job a couple months ago, said he continues to be impressed by the amount of volunteer and community support there is for this and other square events.

“I am always happy to support Main Street Medina and our local vendors,” Hanwell said. “There is great community, business and city support for our events and the businesses all benefit from the many visitors who come and take part in these events ... I am very thankful to be a small part of the overall event.”

By the morning of Nov. 19, rain had moved in and temperatures had dropped to a more seasonable temperature. By the evening of the parade, fireworks display and Santa’s horse-drawn arrival with the mayor in tow, heavy snow started to fall.

Crowds lining the parade route around Public Square were a bit lighter than years past and continued to dissipate as the countdown for fireworks began.

The fireworks display was moved up a bit to beat the ensuing squall. It went on without any issues.