Hundreds of children, parents and Lawrence residents gather below at the intersection of Ninth and Massachusetts streets as Santa Claus is heroically rescued from the roof of Weaver's department store by two Lawrence firefighters in a ladder truck Friday evening, Dec. 4, 2015.

Firefighters are preparing for their annual rescue of Santa Claus from a downtown Lawrence rooftop.

Santa is expected to land around 6:15 p.m. Friday on the roof of Weaver’s Department Store, 901 Massachusetts St., according to event organizers at Downtown Lawrence Inc. Firefighters then will use a ladder truck to climb up and rescue him.

Once on the ground, Santa will listen to the Christmas wishes of children and pose for pictures.

The event coincides with the Lawrence holiday lighting ceremony and live music, which begin at 5:30 p.m.