Jill Nicolini Previews Tomorrow's Long Island Tree Lighting

PIX Morning News' Jill Nicolini is live at RexCorp Plaza in Uniondale, Long Island to get a preview of the annual tree lighting event taking place this Saturday. She and PIX News at Ten anchor Jim Watkins will host the event and will feature Long Island's own Grammy-Award winning singer and actress Ashanti.

Jill begins her coverage with ice choreographer and former Ice Capades star Dawn Wagner Johnson, who will perform with eight other up-and-coming stars on the RXR rink. She'll also talk to Senior Vice President of RexCorp Carol Allen about Saturday’s events. Then, Wagner taught Jill some cool moves on the ice and meets Sparky the Islanders' mascot!

Then, Jill spoke to Long Island Children’s Museum Director of Education Hillary Olson and Outreach Manager Sherae Dow at the skate house. They told Jill about arts and crafts activities that kids’ will put together as part of the Saturday night program.

Jill will wrapped up her coverage and speak to Randi Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, one of the region’s biggest food banks and discussed the 2009 “Light Up a Life Project.” The charity is “selling” the 5,000 bulbs on the tree for a dollar each to raise money for the community’s needy families. To buy a bulb, participants can purchase $1 coupons at the tree lighting event or go to the charity’s website, www.islandharvest.org. Each dollar contribution will cover the cost of three meals.

You can join Jill and Jim tomorrow, Saturday, December 6 at 5:30pm in RexCorp Plaza for the tree lighting. And if you can't make it, you can watch the broadcast of the lighting tomorrow at 7pm right here on PIX.

For more information, visit www.rexcorprealty.com/treelighting.

WATCH JILL'S VIDEOS AND READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP...

This year's extravaganza features a cast of Long Island Super-Stars headlined by Grammy-Award winning singer and actress Ashanti, a Glen Cove native, and national rock sensation Push Play. For the kids - from Wainscott Studio's PBS original show, It's A Big, Big World - there will be an appearance by the lovable 7-foot tall, furry character "Snook."

Expect a dazzling performance on the ice from Long Island figure skating champions Chloe Katz from Wantagh and Joseph Lynch from Sea Cliff, along with more than a dozen of Long Island's future up and coming stars. The New York Islander Girls will demonstrate their cheerleading acrobatics and Sparky, the hockey team's mascot, will be on hand.

The glow from more than 50,000 energy-saving LED lights decorating Long Island's favorite Christmas tree - an 80-foot-tall, 10 ton Norwegian Spruce harvested in Canaan, New York - will warm the night. Once the ceremonial switch is thrown, the LED's will save the equivalent of the energy used by 20 Long Island homes for one year.

The LED's will also reduce lighting costs by 98% and reflects an overall strategy by RXR to implement energy conservation technology wherever and whenever feasible throughout its real estate portfolio. While the LED's reflect a significant advance in reducing our collective carbon footprints, RXR technicians had to work hard to connect more than three-and-half-miles of electrical wire and make the holiday happen.

In keeping with the spirit of giving throughout the season, RXR will again join with Island Harvest to help feed the hungry among Long Island's under-served communities. Last year, RXR collaborated with Island Harvest on its "Sponsor a Bulb on Long Island's Favorite Tree" program and together fed over 150 families.

RexCorp Plaza is located in Uniondale at the juncture of Hempstead Turnpike and the Meadowbrook Parkway, directly across from the Nassau Coliseum. It is both the largest and most recognizable office complex on Long Island.