This year the student winner of an essay contest will help Georgetown Mayor Dale Ross and Williamson County Judge Dan A. Gattis flip the switch to turn on the lights at the Lighting of the Square on November 27. The annual lighting event is at 5:30 p.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades are invited to write a short essay on the topic, “Why I am proud Georgetown has the greenest Christmas in Texas.” The essay topic recognizes the City of Georgetown’s green energy plans to purchase all of its energy from wind and solar sources by 2017.

Contest rules: Essays are limited to 75 words or less. Essays can be emailed to editor@wilcosun.com or delivered to the office of the Williamson County Sun at 707 S. Main Street, on the east side of the Courthouse Square. Essays are due by 5 p.m. on November 11. The essay contest winner will help to turn on the lights on the Square on November 27.

The Lighting of the Square essay contest is sponsored by the City of Georgetown, Williamson County, The Williamson Museum, and the Williamson County Sun.

This year the lights in the trees and on buildings around the Courthouse Square are sponsored by Georgetown Utility Systems. Georgetown is set to be one of the first cities in the U.S. to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy from wind and solar plants in West Texas. Williamson County is contributing to the lighting costs with funds raised from donations.