Record early? Christmas lights began November 2

About 15 feet above Ridge-McIntire Road, Randall Bowling eyes his Wednesday-morning handiwork.
PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER

Just two days after Halloween, three and a half weeks before Thanksgiving (not to mention seven and a half weeks before Christmas), City crews began installing holiday lights downtown on Monday, November 2–- in what may be a new record for early decorating.

The lights, installed singly and in pairs on poles, are stylized snow flakes, illuminated by LEDs.

City spokesperson Ric Barrick says the lights are owned by the private Downtown Business Association, which added 16 flakes to its retinue this year and which coordinates timing of the hanging with the City's Parks department.

[caption id="attachment_22597" align="alignleft" width="140" caption="The lights are on, as this November 3 view of the Market Street Parking Deck indicates."][/caption]

"We want to spread the Christmas joy," says Association director Bob Stroh. "We still have work to do."

Stroh notes that the Association decided to hold the annual Grand Illumination ceremony prior to Thanksgiving for the second time this year, so that could account for the early-birdness of it all, but he's not certain it's a record.

"It's about the same time as we did them last year," says Stroh, whose group took over downtown decorating two years ago with the aid of a public-private grant consisting of $9,465 of Association funding and triple that amount from the City.

The Grand Illumination, which includes music and a candlelit caroling, will take place on Friday, November 20. The free event runs 5-7:30pm (with the actual tree-lighting around 6:00 to 6:15) at Central Place on the Downtown Mall.

–updated 4:54pm with additional photo as well as info from Bob Stroh in lieu of earlier theorizing by City spokesperson