Pleasant Hill Rings In The Holiday Season

No rain and plenty of cheer.

That was setting Wednesday night as Pleasant Hill held its annual Light Up The Night holiday celebration.

Hundreds of people mingled along a blocked-off portion of Crescent Drive as horse-drawn carriages gave rides to people around the block, young choirs sang Christmas carols and Santa greeted young children in a makeshift village inside the clocktower building.

The highlight of the evening was the lighting of the city's holiday tree shortly after 6 p.m. (see video).

Jeremy Usedom of Martinez was there with his family and his brother's family. Among the 11 family members were four children.

He said they have been attending holiday celebrations in Pleasant Hill for years. He said the tradition and the fun keeps bringing the family back.

The downtown Pleasant Hill celebration began five years in the rain with 150 people attending. It was grown quite a bit since then.

And this year, the rain stopped and the skies cleared for the event.