The Organizing Committee of Canada's Tallest Christmas Tree is pleased to announce that Ottawa singer-songwriter Ana Miura will perform Christmas songs at the Official Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 9.  The Christmas Tree is dedicated to the Canadian Armed Forces and their families.

    Ana Miura earned a milestone in her music career with the announcement that she won top honours with the 2006 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) Songs from the Heart Songwriter Awards. Miura won the 2006 Galaxie Rising Star Award for her song 'He Swallows Whiskey'.  Miura has also won the Ottawa Xpress Best Singer/Songwriter for 2004-2005. 

    Since releasing her full-length album, Tenacious Heart in 2004, she has been busy.  Highlights include opening for Sarah Harmer at the Canadian Tulip Festival, performing at the National Arts Centre 4th stage and at the Ottawa Folk Festival. 

    Organizing Coordinator Bruce McIntyre praised Ana's commitment to the Christmas Tree and its dedication to the Canadian Armed Forces and their families.

    "When we first approached Ana about performing Christmas songs during the Lighting Ceremony, she was very supportive.  She was thrilled and honoured to have a chance to take part in this national event and she saw it as one small way of giving something back to the soldiers and their families.  Our committee was thrilled that such this Award-winning star, who is recognized within this music community for her talents, was available to perform," he said.  "She, along with the other musical guests, will provide great entertainment for the thousands who will be on hand, and for the thousands of troops in Afghanistan who will watch the telecast."

    The CTV Network's Ottawa affiliate, CTV Ottawa, will produce a 30 minute DVD that will be sent to CFB Kandahar where Canadian soldiers will be able to watch the dedication and lighting of the Christmas tree.  The Christmas tree will be lit with 3,000 LED light bulbs donated by Hydro One.

    The County of Renfrew will be holding a decoration contest, and two children will have the honour of lighting Canada's Tallest Christmas Tree on stage with Command Personnel from CFB Petawawa.  The official Lighting Ceremony begins at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 in Cobden, Ontario. 

    The 2006 Christmas Tree is dedicated to the brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families.  Many of the homemade decorations will be created by children from the CFB Petawawa Base area, and many of them have parents stationed in Afghanistan.  As a follow-up to Canada's Tallest Christmas Tree in 2005, this year's tree will once again be transported and placed in the ground at Logos Land Resort.

    Logos Land Resort is located 1-hour west of Ottawa on Trans-Canada Highway 17 between the Town of Renfrew and the City of Pembroke.  In addition to the Christmas Tree, an Olympic-sized skating rink will be built on Dec.10 and offer free public skating throughout the winter.  Following the official lighting ceremony, Canada's Tallest Christmas Tree will light up the skies from 5:30 PM until 11:00 PM every night until Jan.2, 2007.

    The Renfew Home Hardware and the Cobden Home Hardware Building Centres supplied materials to build a stage for the event.  These local sponsors, along with the local Hydro One crews who will assist Valley Crane and McLaughlin Haulage to move the tree on Friday Dec.1, are all part of the community effort to make Canada's Tallest Christmas Tree dedicated to the Canadian Armed Forces and their families a reality!

    For more information, click on the Christmas Tree found at www.countyofrenfrew.on.ca