Tree selected for Lambeau Festival of Lights

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers and Festival Foods will host the 18th annual Festival of Lights at Lambeau Field, Saturday, Dec. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring a tree selected from a De Pere couple.

The free, family-themed event will begin at 5 p.m. in the Lambeau Field Atrium, and feature holiday movies and cartoons, holiday card making, cookie decorating, area high school choirs performing holiday music and photo opportunities with Santa Claus.

Volunteers will also be on hand during the event to collect toys and donations for Toys for Tots. Families attending Festival of Lights are encouraged to donate new, unwrapped toys to help families in need this holiday season.

At 6:30 p.m. the event will move out onto Harlan Plaza for the formal lighting of the tree.

The tree has been chosen for the event and will be harvested with the help of Miron Construction the morning of Monday, Dec. 2, in De Pere, and erected on Harlan Plaza.

The decoration of the tree will follow later in the week with more than 10,000 lights.

The winning tree was selected through a submission process in which fans submitted a photo of their tree and explained why it should be chosen.

Neil and Julie Basten, of De Pere, will donate their spruce tree to be on display at Lambeau Field this holiday season.

The couple purchased the six-foot-tall tree 20 years ago, decorating it with their children for the holidays for many years.

Now, the tree stands over 50 feet tall, making it difficult for the family to decorate by themselves.

In recognition of providing the tree for the event, the Bastens will receive four tickets to the Packers-Saints game on Dec. 23.