Choirs from Arlington, King, North and Ramona high schools will participate in this year's Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony, which will take place December 2 and 3 at the Anaheim theme park.

Performances are at 5:30 and 8 p.m. This year, our choirs will be participating in the Sunday performances.

RUSD choirs have been performing in the Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony for the past 20 years, said Tim Lutz, Arlington's choir director. Each year, 50 to 75 school, church and community choirs send in audition tapes in hopes that they may be chosen to perform at the event.

"Disney asks choirs to sing a required selection and one of their own choosing," Tim said. "A panel of judges reviews the entries and chooses approximately 20-25 choirs. Riverside has been well represented with choirs from all five high schools being selected many times over the past 20-plus years."

The 50-year-old program, begun by Walt Disney himself, is primarily an invitation-only event. Disneyland visitors can view the procession, however as it winds its way from the Fantasyland theater into Town Square and can watch the performance from the sides of Main Street. About two dozen choirs sing Christmas hymns as a celebrity guest reader tells the Christmas story. Last year it was Dick Van Dyke. Tim said he doesn't yet know who will be the storyteller this year.