This year’s “Christmas On Broadway” celebration, which will take place on Friday, November 22, 2024.
20th Annual Christmas on Broadway
- Children from Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne to Light the Spectacular Colorado Blue Spruce
- Nationally Acclaimed Concordia Lutheran High School Marching Band to Again Lead the Christmas Parade Down Broadway, along with Spectacular Sleigh and Reindeer Float and Vintage Firetruck from Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum
- 21Alive to Telecast Expanded Live Coverage from Broadway Plaza
- Fort Wayne Komets, Lake City Bank, Brigadoon Fitness, IU Health, Heller Homes, Prairie Farms Dairy, Deister Machine Company, Kelley Automotive, CME Construction, Mudrack Tree Service, Kissinger Electric and Downtown Fort Wayne to kick-off Fort Wayne’s holiday season on Friday, November 22, 2024
Fort Wayne, Indiana (November 17, 2024) – This year’s “Christmas On Broadway” celebration, which will take place on Friday, November 22, 2024, beginning at 5:00 p.m. will be extra special in that this year will mark the 20th anniversary of this beloved community event. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne will be the featured charitable organization, with children from the Clubs participating in both the parade and tree lighting. The tree lighting and brilliant fireworks display is in the heart of the ’07 Neighborhood on the Broadway Plaza, in front of the Shine & Hardin building.
“This year, ‘Christmas On Broadway’ will highlight the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne, which improves the lives of thousands of children across Northeast Indiana by providing a positive impact as to their academic success, character and leadership skills and healthy lifestyles. A large part of this tremendous effort has been made possible by the Jim Kelley Career Pathway Center which is a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne,” said event coordinators, Steve Shine and Tom Hardin of Shine & Hardin, LLP, who originated the holiday celebration 20 years ago.
Joe Jordan, the President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne stated that he was honored to have the Clubs chosen as this year’s charitable organization to be spotlighted, for it helps focus the public’s attention on the mission of the Clubs to enhance the lives of children throughout Northeast Indiana.
The nationally acclaimed Concordia Lutheran High School Marching Band, under the direction of Band Leader Jennifer Porath, will again this year begin the festivities by leading the parade down Broadway, marching to and playing music of the holiday season and will pave the way for the new additions to the parade lineup which will include Icy (the mascot of the Fort Wayne Komets), and a 1942 antique firetruck that is housed at the Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum, aboard which will be children from the Boys & Girls Clubs as well as members of the Fort Wayne Komets Hockey Team. The firetruck will be followed by a 10-foot tall, 22-foot long sleigh and reindeer float (uniquely constructed by Mark Gray, owner of Graycraft Signs, Fort Wayne), with Santa Claus himself sitting in the “commander’s seat.” The parade route will begin at Broadway and Creighton and end at the Broadway Plaza, where the magnificent 40-foot Colorado spruce will be lit at 6:00 p.m., to a background of fireworks and Christmas songs.
Upon arrival at the Plaza, Santa Claus and his helpers will be handing out Santa hats, candy canes and mini flashlights and keychains from Deister Machine Company to be given to all of the children in attendance. Santa will also be joined by one of his reindeers, presenting an opportunity for the children to pet his four-legged helper, many of whom will experience greeting a live reindeer for the first time. In addition to getting to see the live reindeer, children will also be treated to rides on the miniature train aptly named the Polar Express which will be located in the east side parking lot adjacent to the Shine & Hardin building.
Food truck and beverage trucks will be on-site to make the holiday revelers’ visit to the Broadway Plaza even more fun and enticing. The food truck service will be provided by Smoking J’s, well known in the surrounding area for, “meat, mac & more,” including egg rolls, mac & cheese, chicken, pork and brisket. The beverage truck will be provided by Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck, featuring a variety of items including hot specialties such as latte, cappuccino, mocha, hot chocolate and more.
This year’s tree will be dedicated to the loving memory of Michael Franke, the late President and one of the owners of the Fort Wayne Komets, who passed away last year shortly after the tree lighting. Michael was one of the events biggest supporters of Christmas On Broadway who championed the lighting of the tree to occur simultaneously with a brilliant fireworks display so that the splendor of the holidays could be shared with Fort Wayne families.
“Each year, we are so fortunate and honored to have the participation of local businesses underwrite an event that is known as ‘the gateway to the holiday season,’ allowing Fort Wayne and Northeast Indiana residents to enjoy the events of the evening and the continuous beauty of the Christmas tree, adorned with 40,000 colored lights, throughout the entire holiday season. This year is no exception, and we graciously thank Deister Machine Company (a family owned business in Fort Wayne for over 100 years and whose patriarch, Mark Deister, has been involved in numerous efforts to strengthen Fort Wayne neighborhoods), Kelley Automotive (whose President, Tom Kelley and his late father, Jim Kelley, have been longtime supports of this year’s spotlighted charitable organization, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne), the Fort Wayne Komets, Mudrack Tree Service (whose owner, Dan Mudrack cuts and transports the tree to its place of honor on the Broadway Plaza), Lake City Bank (the longest and original sponsor of the event when it began 20 years ago and whose leadership team includes Eric Ottinger and Cammy Treadway), Brigadoon Fitness (led by its community minded CEO Bruce Dye), IU Health (and its local President, Brian Bauer), Prairie Farms Dairy (the Midwest leading dairy, and whose General Manager, Chuck McQuaig, has been a longtime supporter of the event), Heller Homes (whose founder, Mark Heller, has committed his company to providing homeownership to thousands of families across the area), CME Construction (whose President, Ryan Hellinger constructs the tree stand on the plaza and whose company has been responsible for some of the most unique construction projects in our community), Kissinger Electric (with Jon Kissinger and Mark Mongold taking charge of the lighting and electronics associated with the tree, and Downtown Fort Wayne (who promotes all good things to enhance the quality of life in downtown Fort Wayne),” said Steve Shine and Tom Hardin.
The family holiday tradition, which is held each year on the Friday before Thanksgiving, will be telecast live on 21Alive beginning at 4:00 p.m., when their entire two hour 30-minute news block will telecast live from the Broadway Plaza. Vice President and General Manager of 21Alive, Chris Fedele, said, “21Alive and its parent company, Gray Media, is part of the family fabric of Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio. It is our pleasure to provide our viewers with extensive coverage of this fantastic holiday event. This year, to make the viewing experience even more exciting, live drone coverage will highlight the tree lighting and fireworks display, bringing a unique visual perspective into the living rooms of our viewers.”
Joining 21Alive as a media sponsor will be the City’s top-rated cluster of radio stations owned by Federated Media, including WOWO, 97.3 WMEE, 1380 The Fan, 98.9 The Bear, and K-105. Ben Saurer, General Manager of the Federated stations, stated that again this year “Christmas On Broadway” will kick off the 77th Annual WOWO Penny Pitch (itself one of the longest and continuous holiday charities in the community) at 3:00 p.m. on November 22nd when Casey Hendrickson begins broadcasting live from the Broadway Plaza. Motorist using Broadway will have the opportunity as they drive by the Broadway Plaza to contribute to the WOWO Penny Pitch by dropping their donation into donation buckets held by the members of the WOWO staff. “WOWO has been serving Fort Wayne for nearly 100 years and each year we strive to further engage our loyal listeners in community-wide events. The combination of Penny Pitch and Christmas On Broadway, two Fort Wayne traditions, make for a perfect blend to begin the holiday season,” said Saurer.
The computer center located within the Shine & Hardin building which, during the Spring, Summer and Fall controls the multiple colorized patterns of the Broadway Plaza fountain, will again allow for a variety of lighting display each evening when the tree is lit. The electrical engineering undertaken for the tree and the multi-colored vibrant displays have been designed by Mark Mongold of Kissinger Electric of Columbia City.
The excitement begins this year when Mudrack Tree Service will transport the tree to the Broadway Plaza on November 18th. On that day, Mudrack Tree Service will place the tree into its secure position upon a large tree stand, constructed by CME Construction.
When the tree arrives on Monday, November 18th, its arrival will be telecast live on 21Alive beginning at 5:00 a.m. during 21Alive’s Morning News, as well as radio coverage on WOWO, 92.3 FM/1190 AM. Then, throughout the week of November 18th, crews from A Yard Apart will be prepare the tree for its lighting, by placing 40,000 lights on the tree and, along with Vision Scapes, will be readying the Plaza for the anticipated thousands of spectators. The entire event site will be overseen and managed through the efforts of the Associated Builders and Contractors Indiana Kentucky Chapter under the supervision of Felisha Anderson, Director of Council Management.
The Broadway Plaza is located at the mid-point of the Broadway Corridor. To the north of the Broadway Plaza is Fort Wayne’s largest redevelopment project in the City’s history, that being the nationally acclaimed Electric Works. To the south of the Broadway Plaza is Quimby Village, which is home to the Clyde, Fort Wayne’s most unique music venue. The Broadway Corridor is bordered by eight neighborhoods, those being Broad River, Creighton-Home, Historic South Wayne, Historic Oakdale, Fairfield, Illsley Place, Williams-Woodland and the West Rudisill Neighborhood Association.
This year, the Broad River Neighborhood Association will join the parade down Broadway, featuring approximately 30 residents of the Association, displaying their banner and proudly showing their commitment to the neighborhoods comprising the, “07” district. Broad River Neighborhood Association President Sarah Aubrey stated, “We are thrilled to be a part of Christmas On Broadway. It’s a treasured tradition for our community. It’s been wonderful to see it grow from a small local event to one that now attracts people from all across Northeast Indiana to begin the holiday season. We are grateful to all of the sponsors and Shine & Hardin for including us in the magnificent event.”
On Saturday, November 16th, in the Journal Gazette, a full-page outline of the Christmas tree will be available for children of all ages to color their own rendering of the Christmas tree on Broadway. The three top entries will win Visa Gift Cards from Lake City Bank, music CDs from 97.3 WMEE and K-105, and prizes from 21Alive. All entries must be received on or before Monday, December 16, 2024, and mailed to WPTA-TV, 3401 Butler Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46808. Winners will be announced on Tuesday morning, December 24, 2024, on 21Alive’s Morning News, WOWO 92.3 FM/1190 AM, and Christmas Time with Steve Shine which airs at 3:00 p.m. on 21Alive.
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