New ‘Tree of Bikes,’ Annual Tower Lighting and Tree Challenge Headline ATC’s Biggest Ever Holiday Celebration
Bike Donation Drive Kicks Off Festivities, Nov. 1-20, Tower Lighting Set for 12/4
(Durham, NC) – Oct. 28, 2015 – The holiday lights are getting bigger and brighter at American Tobacco in 2015, home of the Triangle’s largest holiday celebration. Joining perennial favorites like the American Tobacco Tower Lighting and Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge is a new tradition: a massive decoration with a purpose.
In addition to the historic water tower, American Tobacco will light their first ever Tree of Bikes at 7 p.m. on 12/4 on the patio in front of Burt’s Bees. The Tree of Bikes is a 25-feet tall sculpture made entirely of new children’s bicycles. Once the festivities conclude on Dec. 18, Happy Roots Entertainment will distribute the bikes to children living in affordable housing through the Cornwallis Road Housing Project. While Happy Roots has been a Christmas tradition in the affordable housing community for the past 7 years, the 120 bikes from the Tree of Bikes will allow Happy Roots to provide bikes to ten times more children than in years past.
“The Tree of Bikes is one of the coolest things we’ve ever done at American Tobacco,” says Michael Goodmon, vice president of real estate, Capitol Broadcasting Company. “We’re building a unique holiday sculpture that will celebrate the season and put smiles on dozens of kids faces this year. It is a home run anyway you look at it.”
Members of the community can donate new, fully assembled bicycles between Nov. 1-20 at the ReStore of Durham and Orange Counties located at 5501 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham, NC 27707. More information can be found at americantobaccocampus.com.
Old Favorites
For more than a decade, the American Tobacco Tower Lighting has marked the start to the season throughout the Triangle. This year, the festivities will take place on December 4 starting at 6 p.m. and will include exciting acts like the touring cast of the Sound of Music (DPAC Dec. 1-6). Area school choirs will also perform alongside Wool E. Bull and St. Nick himself.
Dozens of nonprofits will return to Diamond View Park to compete for the title of Top Tenenbaum in the 6th Annual Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge. Winning trees in different categories will walk away with thousands of dollars in donations as well as in kind support and prizes. Decoration day is Dec. 3 with the park opening for tours and voting after the Tower Lighting on Dec. 4.
In addition to the Tree of Bikes, American Tobacco also welcomes the community to donate new or gently used coats to WRAL’s Coats for Children Dec. 4 – Jan. 1. The Trosa Tree Lot will also sell Christmas Trees in Diamond View Park Nov. 25 – Dec. 22 to benefit the local charity.
Sponsors for the American Tobacco holiday celebrations include: WRAL.com, Fox 50 and Duke Energy.
About American Tobacco Campus
American Tobacco offers one million square feet of premium office space in a historic factory setting bustling with restaurants and businesses as well as the Durham Performing Arts Center and Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Featured in US News & World Report as the national model for urban revitalization, the campus serves as a bridge from Durham’s past as one of the Tobacco capitals of the world to its present and future as a knowledge, science and medical capital.
ATC owner Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAL Digital, WRAZ-TV, WRAZ Digital, WRAL-FM, WRAL-HD2, WCMC-FM, WCMC-HD1, WDNC-AM, WCMC-HD2, WCMC-HD3, WCLY-AM, WCMC-HD4, Microspace, CBC New Media Group and Wolfpack Sports Properties (a joint venture with Learfield Sports) in Raleigh, NC; WILM-TV and Sunrise Broadcasting in Wilmington, NC and The Durham Bulls Baseball Club in Durham, NC.