SCRANTON, Pa. — The lighting of the radio tower came just after 6 p.m.
It was the culmination of a busy night downtown.
The block party outside the Scranton Times Building packed an entire block of Penn Avenue for hours.
Thousands turned out, the crowd spilling over onto adjacent streets.
Organizers say they had more vendors this year and more entertainment.
"I'm born and raised here in Scranton and always enjoyed when the tower came on for the Christmas season. We wanted to continue that," said Paul Ross, engineer.
The radio tower features 500 multi-colored lights that will shine high above the electric city through the holidays.
In recent years, a fireworks show was added to the festivities, making it truly a family affair.
"My favorite part was the fireworks and the band," said Odin, six years old.
But once the block party broke up, the business of Thanksgiving eve commenced.
Ale Mary's scheduled a night of live music, anticipating one of the biggest crowds of the year.
"We're going to be shoulder packed, you know what I'm saying. It's going to be quite the exciting night. It's not going to slow down until the time the band leaves, and we're going to have a blast. We like to have fun here," said Kyle Barchak.
The tower is 296 feet tall; it sits on top of a 300-foot building.
So what is billed as the region's tallest Christmas tree stretched about 600 feet above the downtown.
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