ABC 11 Eyewitness News Anchor Barbara Gibbs to Host

Barbara Gibbs, the morning news anchor for ABC 11 Eyewitness News will be the celebrity host/emcee for Clayton’s “Live Christmas Village & Tree Lighting” on Thursday December 4 from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Ms. Gibbs will announce the Storefront Decoration Contest winners, as well as visit various open houses and enjoy the student performances along Main Street. Along with Mayor Jody McLeod, she will also perform the actual Town Tree Lighting at Town Square beginning at 8:30 pm.

Barbara Gibbs joined ABC 11 Eyewitness News in 2000. She co-anchors the morning and noon newscasts with Eyewitness News Anchor John Clark and ABC-11 AccuWeather Meteorologist Chris Hohmann.

Barbara is a huge college football fan, an Auburn Tiger, specifically. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Journalism (PR) and a minor in Sociology. Before coming to Raleigh, Barbara co-anchored the 6/11pm shows at WSLS-TV (Roanoke, Virginia). She was the morning anchor/reporter at WTVQ (Lexington, KY) before moving to Virginia. Barbara enjoys traveling and going home to Mobile, Alabama to be with family and friends. She lives in Durham, with her kitten, Grace.

Dance and choral performances by local students, local churches will be featured, along with the Business Open House, a live nativity and the Tree Lighting ceremony will be the main focus of the event. Organized by the Clayton Downtown Development Association, more than 2500 people attended the event last year.

Main Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from Smith Street to O’Neil Street from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm so a special environment of festivities and activity can be created there.

For more information and schedule updates, visit www.downtownclayton.org; or call Lyn Austin at 553-4439; email bnaegelen@townofclaytonnc.org or call 553-1545.