Governor and First Lady Parson Invite Families to Candlelight Tours, Tree Lighting Ceremony at Missouri Governor’s Mansion

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

Jefferson City — Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson cordially invite families to attend this year’s Candlelight Tours and annual tree lighting ceremony at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion on Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7, 2019. 

Governor Parson and First Lady Parson will light the 2019 Mansion Christmas tree at 6:00 p.m.on Friday. The tree is a 30-foot white pine donated by Mike and Ellen Hedgcoth of Salem. Mr. and Mrs. Hedgcoth decided to donate their tree because it became too large for their yard. 

The Candlelight Tours will begin immediately following the tree lighting. The doors will be open until 8 p.m. on Friday and again on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. During the tours, visitors will be able to walk through the festively decorated ground floor of the Mansion as well as a new Christmas Village on the Mansion lawn. 

The village will include a General Store, Candy Shoppe, Santa’s Candy Cane Lane House, and Santa’s Workshop. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there to take letters from children on Friday evening and Santa again on Saturday. New and unused toys can also be donated next to Santa’s Workshop for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. 

On Friday evening, the Sparta High School band will perform on the front steps of the Mansion from 5 - 6 p.m. leading up to the tree lighting ceremony. Student choirs from throughout Missouri will also perform Christmas carols on the Mansion lawn:

  • Capitol City High School - Friday, 6 - 6:15 p.m.  
  • Moberly High School - Friday, 6:20 - 6:35 p.m.  
  • Hickman High School - Friday, 6:40 - 6:55 p.m.  
  • Glendale High School - Friday, 7 - 7:15 p.m. 
  • Jefferson City High School - Friday, 7:20 -7:35 p.m. 
  • Helias High School- Friday - 7:40 - 8 p.m.
  • Weaubleau R-3 High School - Saturday, 10 - 10: 30 a.m.
  • Versailles High School - Saturday, 10:35 - 11:05 a.m.
  • Sacred Heart High School - Saturday, 11:10 - 11:40 a.m.
  • School of the Osage - Saturday, 11:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. 

The Candlelight Tours are free and open to the public. Visitors will enter through the Madison Street gate. For more information on the tours, click here.