'Christmas On Fifth Street' To Bring Holiday Cheer To Campus

by Amanda Lewis, Student Newswriter

Baylor University will usher in the holiday season Wednesday, Dec. 3, with Christmas on Fifth Street, an annual celebration sponsored by the Place 2BU and Kappa Omega Tau fraternity. Special events include the traditional tree lighting ceremony and performances by award-winning Christian bands Caedmon's Call and Jars of Clay.
Before the show at 3 p.m., members of Jars of Clay will make a free presentation about "Blood: Water Mission," a non-profit organization founded by the group to educate and empower people to get personally involved in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in third world countries. More about the organization can be found at http://www.bloodwatermission.org/.
The festivities will begin with the Kappa Omega Tau Christmas Tree Lighting, a Baylor tradition since 1965. The 50-foot Douglas fur was delivered Nov. 20 from a tree farm in northern Indiana. Dr. Alton Hassell, KOT alumni and sponsor, will read the Christmas story before the tree is illuminated. The sorority ensemble, Kappa Pickers, and other Baylor students will lead the audience in a variety of Christmas carols.
Participants are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots, a nonprofit organization sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps. Toys for Tots seeks to provide Christmas gifts for underprivileged children and all of the donations will benefit Central Texas families.
Following the tree-lighting ceremony, members of the Baylor and Waco communities are invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets for a free concert by recording artists Steve Delopoulous, Caedmon's Call and Jars of Clay at 7:30 p.m. on Fountain Mall. The concert will feature music from the groups' latest albums and will last until 11 p.m.
More than 12,000 Christmas lights will decorate the buildings which span from the Bill Daniel Student Center down Fifth Street to the Carroll Library to enhance the holiday atmosphere. Venders will be at booths along Fifth Street selling hot chocolate, apple cider and a variety of merchandise throughout the evening.
This is the third year the Place 2BU and Kappa Omega Tau have co-sponsored the holiday event. For more information regarding Christmas on Fifth Street, contact Becki Majors, coordinator of student union programs, at 710-3211.