Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) will kick off the holiday season on Nov. 29, with a full slate of activities and events including a Christmas Festival, the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and a concert by the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra (KSCO). This year, the festivities will center in and around the Tex Turner Arena on the main campus in Harrogate. The concert will be the culmination of a day-long docket of holiday events for the community.

LMU has partnered with the City of Harrogate to bring the KSCO to the area for a community concert at 7 p.m. in Tex Turner Arena. The LMU Choir, under the direction of Dr. Young Kim, will join the KSCO on four selections including the audience sing-along. The KSCO is a smaller ensemble of Knoxville Symphony musicians who perform in smaller venues. The mission of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) is to develop and sustain a symphony orchestra of the highest artistic standards and to reach East Tennessee audiences of all ages, by providing excellence in musical performance and education programs. The community concerts will feature traditional and popular holiday music.

LMU and the KSO have partnered for 15 years to bring the annual Christmas concert to the Tri-State community. Admission is free, with a donation to the Mission of Hope Christmas campaign.

The tree lighting ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Tex Turner Arena. The program will include Christmas carols, a reading of the Christmas story and the annual countdown to the lighting of LMU’s holiday lights.

In conjunction with the holiday celebrations, LMU will once again be collecting items for the non-profit charity ‘Mission of Hope‘ (MOH). The organization’s Christmas Campaign focuses on providing food, new clothing, hygiene items, books and new toys to needy families throughout rural Appalachia. MOH serves many communities close to LMU and funds several scholarship opportunities for LMU students. A complete list of items needed can be found at www.missionofhope.org.

The LMU Christmas Festival, presented by LMU Women of Service (WOS), will include holiday shopping around the upper concourse of the Arena from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Local vendors will be on hand with jewelry, skin care, clothing, crafts and more. All vendor booth fees benefit LMU’s Women of Service organization, which supports students and provides cultural opportunities for students at LMU. The WOS will provide hot meals including barbecue, baked potatoes, soup, chips, drink and dessert for $5 beginning at 11 a.m. Dine in or carry out is available. For more information, contact Regina Burns at 423-869-6255.