KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Throngs of people gathered Thanksgiving night to witness a Kansas City tradition, the flipping of the switch to the Plaza Lights.

This year, American Idol David Cook and his niece had the honors.

Attendees cheered as the lights came on and fireworks lit up the Kansas City skyline, then Cook, his brother and all of the other musical acts that performed throughout the night gathered on stage and sang Christmas music.

Cook said, "It's amazing to be involved with something like this, to come home, and something with such historical context is a huge honor."

When the Plaza Lights turned on this year, KCTV5's tower also lit up after being dark for some time.

The Plaza Lights tradition started in 1925 when a man hung a string of 16 lights over the doorway of his storefront at West 47th Street and J.C. Nichols Parkway.

Five years later, the first Plaza Light took place. The only year the Plaza Lights weren't turned on on Thanksgiving Night was in 1973 when President Richard Nixon urged Americans to turn off Christmas lights to conserve energy.

Every year in August, electricians begin hanging the 250,000-plus lights in a 14-block area.

The event is free and open to the public and usually draws a crowd of about 200,000 people.