(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

After one year of absence and another year of taking things outside, the song and celebration of Rochester’s welcoming of Christmas returns to its familiar annual indoor habitat.

The 6th Annual Community Christmas Carol Sing and Light Up Night returns to Rochester High School on Sunday, December 4, presented by the Beaver Valley Choral Society and the Rochester Area School District. The day will center around a collection of traditional Christmas carols sung by the BVCS and those in attendance, in conjunction with the Rochester High School Chorus and Band.

BVCS director emeritus Ray Rotuna and artistic director/principal conductor Sharon Burchill joined Matt Drzik on the November 29 edition of A.M. Beaver County to preview this year’s event, which will be held inside Rochester High School after the outdoor celebration of the previous year. Attendees will be directed to the school’s natatorium by the “town crier” of the festivities, and they’ll be encouraged to sing traditional Christmas carols with the BVCS and Rochester students. “That was one of the goals of this community event,” Burchill said, “to get people singing, and to bring the carol sings back.”

There will also be a presentation of “The Night Before Christmas” featuring Larry Brosius and Diane Brosius in full time-appropriate regalia, the return of Santa’s Workshop and the Candyland Garden, and drawings for gift cards from Santa’s Elf Bag. Kids can write letters to Santa and Christmas Cards to deployed soldiers, enjoy festive drinks and holiday cookies, and meet Tucker The Reading Dog from the Rochester Library. Plus, Beaver County Radio will be broadcasting live from the Carol Sing & Light Up Night, with the Personality Prize Wheel free to spin for a chance at awesome prizes!

The event is free, but the BVCS and RASD are asking that a donation of a non-perishable food item be brought for the Frye Transportation bus, which will be filled with food to be donated to the Families Matter Food Pantry.

To watch the full preview with Ray and Sharon, click on the Facebook feed below!