Posted Tuesday, December 3, 2019 2:32 pm

Contributed photo

ROCKY MOUNT — Rocky Mount Mills will hold its second annual tower lighting on Saturday. The event, which is free and open to the public, runs from 5-8 p.m. and features a wide array of family-friendly entertainment to kick off the holiday season.

WRAL anchor Jeff Hogan will serve as emcee for the evening festivities.

“We are excited to be a part of Capitol Broadcasting Co.’s tower lighting tradition again this year alongside WRAL Studios in Raleigh and American Tobacco Campus in Durham,” said Julie Baggett, event services and marketing manager at Rocky Mount Mills. “It will be a night full of carols and horse carriage rides, plus a visit from Santa and more holiday fun following the lighting of the water tower.”

The event, presented by Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, will feature local school bands, choral performances and dance routines by the Rocky Mount High School Marching Band, Englewood Elementary Choral, Empower Dance Studio, West Edgecombe Middle School, Nash Central High School and the North Carolina Wesleyan Choral Group.

To mark the occasion, all five breweries at Rocky Mount Mills collaborated on a special “festbier” that will be released and served as part of the evening festivities. Tower Lighting Lager is an amber beer brewed in the German Festbier/Maerzen tradition that’s designed to please a crowd, said Sebastian Wolfrum, executive brewmaster at Rocky Mount Mills.

“It’s a malt-forward beer that’s balanced and well-rounded,” Wolfrum said. “It should pair perfectly with a heartwarming choir singing under the brightly lit tower.”

Schedule of Events

• 5-8 p.m. — Horse and carriage rides around campus

• 5-8 p.m. — All campus breweries tap Tower Lighting Lager

• 6-6:45 p.m. — Tower lighting

• 6:45-8 p.m. — Pictures with Santa in the main mill

• 6:45-8 p.m. — Music by Stray Local in the beer garden