Angel Tree Benefit Celebrating 25 Years

A favorite Zanesville holiday tradition continues to bring smiles to children’s faces year after year.

The Renner Theatre’s 25th annual Angel Tree Benefit is back this December, and for one weekend only. Hundreds of people are expected to snag tickets for the much anticipated Christmas show.

“Silver Bells” is a magical holiday experience with music, dancing and Christmas cheer. In celebration of the 25th anniversary, this year’s show will incorporate different themes from previous years.

“Rich, the director, writes the show all by himself, but he doesn’t take any of the money, he does it all for the little children, so for all the children’s parents who don’t have enough money to give them a Christmas, all the money that we raise goes to their presents,” said performer, Adelaide Pitcock.

Seventy performers will take to the stage this year in one of the biggest Christmas shows around. Since its beginning, the benefit has raised nearly $150,000 for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree.

“We’ve raised a lot of money, each year we raise around $6,000, and this year I know we have at least 60 children that we’re going to buy for, they give us a little list and we go out and buy for them,” Pitcock said.

The show is December 10, 11, and 12 at 8 p.m. and December 13 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are free, but donations are encouraged. To make reservations, you can visit zanetraceplayers.org or contact the theater, at (740) 453-8481.