The sun is making an appearance in Portland at this hour, as city workers prepare Monument Square for the annual tree lighting celebration this evening.

The tradition starts at 5:30 p.m. with a performance by members of the Portland Conservatory of Music and the Maine State Ballet. Rick Charette and the Bubble Gum Band will then perform, and a special anonymous guest will help with the tree lighting around 6:30 p.m.

Joyce Smith of Gorham donated the 50-foot-tall blue spruce that will remain in Monument Square through the New Year.

The forecast calls for occasional rain showers for the rest of the day, with temperatures in the upper 30s, according to the National Weather Service.

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