Palmetto 10th Street Tennis Group serves up Christmas carols to benefit Tidewell

A group of tennis players from Palmetto who have swatted the yellow ball around for about 25 years have come up with a creative way of generating some Christmas spirit this year.

Paul and Cindy Thibault, John Marett and other members of the Palmetto 10th Street Tennis Pickup Group have decided to sing Christmas carols to raise money for Tidewell Hospice this Christmas season.

The event they dreamed up is called “The Live Christmas Caroling and Lighting Show,” which is scheduled to run continuously from 5:45 to 8:15 p.m. both Monday and Friday in Palmetto Point, 4124 4th Ave. Drive W., Palmetto.

“They sing every kind of Christmas carol,” said John Marett’s wife, Ann Marett, who is a singer but not a tennis player. “They even do ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.’”

Paul Thibault, a musician who can play just about every instrument including keyboard and guitar, leads the show which is set up at the end of his driveway in Palmetto Point.

People can drive up, stay in their vehicles and listen to the music, or get out and sit on the lawn and listen, Cindy Thibault said.

If they care to, they can drop a few bills or coins into a bucket set up for Tidewell, but they don’t have to, Thibault added.

The lighting part of the show is provided by the Thibault’s neighbors from across the street who have done a spectacular job decorating their home for Christmas, Cindy Thibault said.

The Palmetto 10th Street Tennis Pickup Group plays tennis from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays at the Manatee County public courts on 10th Street West in Palmetto.

“They will do ‘Frosty the Snowman,’ ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ ‘Mele Kalikimaka,’ as well as songs by Elvis, songs by the Chipmunks, traditional carols, and they will take requests,” Cindy Thibault said.

This story was originally published December 17, 2017 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Palmetto 10th Street Tennis Group serves up Christmas carols to benefit Tidewell."