Northwest invites community to annual tree lighting ceremony

Northwest Missouri State University will host its annual President’s Tree Lighting Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the Thomas Gaunt House and invites the community to join in the tradition that helps usher in the holiday season on the campus.

A tradition at Northwest for more than a decade, the ceremony returns to the Gaunt House this year after occurring at the Memorial Bell Tower since 2019.

Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum and first lady Jill Tatum will host the program, which begins at 5:15 p.m. It will include remarks from President Tatum as well as Elizabeth Motazedi, who serves as the University’s student regent and president of the Student Senate; Jeremy Cobb, pastor of the Christian Campus House; and Maryville Mayor Pro-Tem Dannen Merrill.

The program also will feature music performed by the Madraliers and the Horace Mann Laboratory School choir.

After the tree-lighting ceremony, attendees may take photos with Santa Claus as well as Bobby Bearcat and enjoy refreshments.

“Jill and I are so excited to host our first tree-lighting ceremony at the Gaunt House and welcome the Northwest community as we celebrate the spirit of the coming holiday season,” President Tatum, who is in his first year at Northwest, said. “It is truly special to see Bearcat families and friends coming together, and we look forward to being a part of this tradition at the University.”

A tradition at Northwest for more than a decade, the ceremony returns to the Gaunt House this year after occurring at the Memorial Bell Tower since 2019. The home, located on Fourth Street at the south edge of the University campus, was built during the 1870s and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It has served as the residence for all Northwest presidents.