New Years Eve street closings

Scott Chandler, city engineer for the city of Jackson, has authorized the temporary road closures, of two- lanes on Lafayette Street from Highland Avenue to Church Street and two- lanes on Liberty from E. College Street to Main Street beginning at 2 p.m. Friday and ending at 1 a.m. Saturday.The closing is for the 2011 Relay's Rockin' Eve on the corner of Liberty and Lafayette. Gates will open at 7 p.m. for the event, according to a news release.
The event is sponsored by The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life Committee team, The Jackson Clinic Convenient Care, The Downtown Tavern, and Miss Ollie's.
There will be live music starting at 8 p.m. Admission is $15 and grants you entry into the Liberty/Lafayette square, Miss Ollie's, and The Downtown Tavern.
This event will benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and will feature The Unassigned at Miss Ollie's and The Grove at The Downtown Tavern.
Also featured at the outdoor stage on the Liberty/Lafayette square will be No Stones Thrown, and tooFARgone from 8 p.m. until after midnight. At midnight, gather in the square to count down the New Year with Jackson's very own ball drop. Vendors will be set up selling food and hot drinks on the street. The first 250 people will receive a free champagne glass. For more information call the American Cancer Society at 731-664-1084.
Christmas tree fire hazard
The State Fire Marshal's Office is reminding Tennesseans with natural, fresh-cut Christmas trees in their homes to take care to keep them in water, because of the fire risk posed when they are allowed to dry out.
"The National Fire Protection Association reports that there is an estimated annual average of 210 home structure fires that begin with Christmas trees," says State Fire Marshal and Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Leslie A. Newman. "Properly maintaining a cut Christmas tree's moisture content of more than 100 percent by keeping it in water significantly reduces the chance that its needles will dry out and pose a fire hazard." www.wdalaw.com