November 15, 2005

THE 23 rd ANNUAL LIGHTING OF THE DOVES FESTIVAL RETURNS TO THE WOODLANDS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (November 3, 2005) . . . Circle November 17 on your calendar as the 23 rd annual Lighting of the Doves Festival in The Woodlands Town Center officially kicks off the 2005 holiday season.

Sponsored by Community Associations of The Woodlands and The Woodlands Town Center, the festival of lights, live music and great food will take place at the intersection of Six Pines Drive and Lake Robbins Drive in The Woodlands from 5:30 –8:30 pm.

The Lighting of the Doves includes the brilliant illumination of twelve giant doves at the festival site, the majestic Donoho’s Jewellers Winter Wonderland and the opening of The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center sponsored by Park Place Jaguar/Land Rover Houston North.

Interactive booths and games also will be featured at the festival, as well as an ice-carving competition between professional ice sculptors, a first for the event.

To cap off the evening, who else but Santa! Just after 7 pm, he’ll arrive in a one-of-a-kind sleigh lit magnificently with more than 10,000 lights with Mrs. Claus and some friendly elves in tow. Santa and his spectacularly decorated sleigh are presented by D&D Collision.

Samplings from Town Center restaurants and entertainment by street performers, live bands and residents of The Woodlands round out the Lighting of the Doves ceremony.

Performances on the Main Stage sponsored by CB&I include appearances by The Woodlands Academy of Fine Arts Children’s Choir, College Park High School Drill Team, The Nutcracker presented by Boni’s Dance Studio, and the world famous Aggie Wranglers.

The Entertainment Stage is set to feature performances by: Tricked Out, a hip-hop dance group; Lone Star Jazz; Cass Irish Dancers; In Step Dancers; Cheri’s Academy of Dance; Omni Dancers and music by Fuel, a Christian band.

The Lighting of the Doves Festival also signals the opening of The Ice Rink at The Woodlands Town Center and Donoho’s Jewellers Winter Wonderland.

Toys For Tots will be accepting unwrapped toys with a value of $10 or more. Visitors who bring a toy can ice skate free for the evening of November 17, 2005.

Parking for The Lighting of the Doves Festival is $5 per car in the Town Center parking garage located on Six Pines Drive, adjacent to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Free parking is available at the Pavilion Green, Yellow and Orange lots on Timberloch Place.

For more information on this and other Town Center events, go to www.towncenterholidays.com.