Bloomingdale Ambassadors Present Seasonal Entertainment

In what's become an annual tradition, the Bloomingdale High School Ambassadors show choir delighted the crowd at the tree lighting at  with its performances including a comical rendition of "The 12 Days of Christmas."

The Ambassadors were among a number of local groups to perform during the evening of community merriment, which culminated in the lighting of the Christmas tree in Clayton Lake next to Center Place by Santa Claus.

The year's highlight, once again, was the Ambassadors show choir, from Bloomingdale High, with a unique interpretation of "The 12 Days of Christmas."

For decades, the Ambassadors have performed at the tree lighting under the direction of longtime Bloomingdale High School choral director Bev Sutherland.

Sutherland retired at the end of last school year, but her legacy lives on.

"Bev Sutherland brought this piece to us 25-plus years ago and it's always been the highlight of the evening," said Lisa Rodriguez, the marketing director for Center Place.

Each year, 12 students are selcted to sing in costume their unique interpretations of each of the song's characters, from the "partridge in a pear tree" to the "drummers dumming."

"We're very pleased to be involved with this every year," said Jason Locker, Bloomingdale's new choral director. "When you see all the little kids down in front and see their faces light up while they enjoy the music means a lot to us."

Having not performed since Veterans Day, the Ambassadors were happy to perform the material in front of a smaller audience.

"We've got our Christmas show at the school coming up on Dec. 13, so tonight was a good way for us to prepare," Locker said. "Since the beginning of November, we've been working on this material, so we're glad to get a chance to perform it. But more importantly, we're happy to have the chance to get out and do something like this in the community."

"Our December is one thing after another, but this is an event that people start calling about in August," Center Place executive director Dawn Galia said. "This event is one of my favorites because it's really good exposure for the younger performers and it's a chance for us to offer a good, free event to the members of our community."

Residents will have another chance to see the Ambassadors perform during the free winter choral concert Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium, 1700 E. Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico.