The Lynnwood Public Menorah Lighting and Celebration of Hanukkah is set for 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29, at the Lynnwood City Center Light Rail Station. The Hanukkah event will feature a 9-foot Menorah, delicious Holiday treats, face painting, balloon twisting, personal Menorah kits and a musical performance by the Seattle-based Klez Katz Klezmer band.

The 13th annual event is sponsored by Chabad Jewish Center of Snohomish County.

“At this fraught time for the Jewish community, with war in Israel and American Jews facing a major rise in antisemitism, this year we are doing more to celebrate Hanukkah with joy and Jewish pride,” said Rabbi Berel Paltiel of the Chabad Jewish Center of Snohomish County.“The Menorah and Hanukkah represent freedom of the human spirit, freedom from tyranny and oppression, and of the victory of good over evil.”

According to a press release about the event, a ladder truck from South County Fire will create an unforgettable experience for the kids with a “Gelt Drop,” showering chocolate coins from above.

There will also be remarks from Rabbi Paltiel of the Chabad Jewish Center of Snohomish County, County Executive Dave Somers and other local dignitaries.

This year’s celebration carries added significance as it marks 50 years since the first public menorah in the U.S., which was lit at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in 1974. The public menorah was lit after the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, launched the worldwide Hanukkah campaign in 1973 to build awareness and promote the celebration of Hanukkah.

Today, public menorahs and Hanukkah displays have become a staple of Jewish cultural and American public life, forever altering the American practice and perception of the festival, the news release said.

“Celebrating Hanukkah is a potent point of light,” Paltiel said. “The celebration of Hanukkah underscores the G-d endowed liberty that is at the heart of what America represents.”