Star light, star bright ...

In this neck of the woods, there’s probably no better way to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season than with the annual lighting of the Star of Bethlehem.

So if you don’t already have plans for tonight, get thee to Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point for the ceremony that pays homage to the community’s roots of steel as well as the Pennsylvania hometown of Bethlehem Steel and the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Tradepoint officials have gone out of their way to preserve Bethlehem Steel’s local heritage and many of the plant’s more visible, iconic, physical pieces. The company's loving treatment of the star built by employees is but one example.

The 28-foot-tall, 1.5-ton star graced the top of the L-Blast furnace on the steel plant’s property for decades. When the furnace was razed, the star was rescued and stored for future use. After being refurbished, the star was installed on the side of the former plant’s wastewater treatment plant — a temporary location until a higher and more permanent home was identified.

This year will mark the fourth time Tradepoint officials will throw the switch to illuminate the star’s 196 bulbs. More work was done on the star this year, including the conversion to LED lights, according to Tradepoint’s website. And the star has a new location atop the campus’ water tower.

It’s a brutally cold and windy day, but the ceremony from 5 to 6 p.m. is free and open to the public. Follow the event signs on Bethlehem Boulevard and Riverside Drive to get there.

Tradepoint Atlantic workers moved the Star of Bethlehem to its new home atop a water tower.
Photo courtesy of Tradepoint's Facebook page.

Tradepoint Atlantic workers pose with the Star of Bethlehem after installing it on the property's water tower.
Photo courtesy of Tradepoint's Facebook page.

Last year's lighting ceremony when the star graced the side of Tradepoint's wastewater treatment plant.
Photo by Marge Neal