Shoppers making their way on King Street, downtown Kingston yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

THE SPOTLIGHT has been turned on downtown Kingston, with the area being targeted for a major initiative dubbed 'Christmas in the City - Downtown Comes Alive'.

In the annual municipal Christmas Tree-Lighting ceremony held at the St William Grant Park yesterday, Mayor of Kingston Desmond McKenzie announced that the doors of downtown Kingston would be opened at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 16, and all persons should come and shop.

He said Prime Minister Bruce Golding would carry out his Christmas shopping in the area on that same day.

"We are going to open the doors of downtown Kingston to every man and woman, boy and girl. Stores will be discounting their prices and we are encouraging persons to come downtown to shop, shop, shop until they hear a voice say, 'Shop! Shop! Shop!' and you keep on shopping," he said.

hairdressers on show

He told hundreds of people who had gathered at the park for the lighting of the Christmas tree that the best hairdressers would be on show.

"While we are encouraging you to come downtown to shop, we will be putting our vendors on show. Our hairdressers and the best hairstyles in Jamaica, you can get it on Barry Street and Princess Street .... on Wednesday," McKenzie said.

But as the mayor described what downtown had to offer, he urged the gathering to reclaim the city and restore it to its former glory.

"Downtown Kingston is the best place on Earth, and it is time for us to reclaim it and restore it to its former glory," he declared.

He said, "This piece of rock that God created specially, is a gift to all of us. It is a gift that we must preserve. It is a gift that we must respect."

He said there was "no reason for us to be ashamed of Kingston", and encouraged individuals to work together as a team to restore decency and law and order to the city.

McKenzie revealed that on Tuesday, the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation voted unanimously to give the key of the city to Scotiabank for its 120 years of service to the growth and development of downtown Kingston.