 Hi there! Welcome to City Talk. This is Karen Kostefik with the Park Rangers and I am so happy to be telling you about our upcoming Winter Solstice Lantern Parade. This is our second year celebrating the solstice and it falls on Friday, December 21st. We will start gathering at 5 p.m. at 312 Laurel, which is beside the Red School House. As it gets dark, we will begin to parade down into the park proper, probably around 6 o'clock, so everyone has a chance to light their lanterns and enjoy a lovely, slow, thoughtful parade on this, the darkest of days. The parade itself is a way of celebrating the winter solstice. Many people just think about the first day of winter as the solstice. It's a calendar marker, but for people like the Rangers who spend time outside, we have always marked the solstice as that shortest, darkest day. We have the least amount of sunlight in the longest, darkest night. And people around the world for eons have celebrated the solstice and marked that day in many traditions that often included fires and light. All of us want to ask you to only use battery operated lights. Please do not use anything candle operated. These lanterns are made of twigs and paper and would easily ignite. So we want you to emerge inspired and illuminated, but not burnt. So do not burn your house down. Do not burn the park down. We are only doing battery operated lights. We'll have a fire for marshmallows, hot cocoa, and this year we are super excited to have beer killer hosting another of our happy hours. So on Friday the 21st, bring a little spending money because you can enjoy traditional German fair that evening. If the weather is cold, we'll have the gluglein, the spiced mulled wine that so many people celebrate the holidays with. That'll give you a chance to have something to eat and drink. The children can have cocoa, you can have a beverage, and gather in the company of friends and family. It really, last year was our very first lantern parade and we were thrilled to see about 100 luminaries come down the trail and it was just a wonderful, wonderful night. And I know that people are excited about this year. I am looking forward to gathering with all my friends and lighting up the night on that shortest, darkest day.