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Volunteers needed to test Christmas lights
(by Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor - November 01, 2012)
Plans are rolling along for this year’s Christmas in the Park in West Jefferson.
The kickoff celebration is set for Dec. 7-9. Per tradition, Garrette Park will be decked out with 300,000 lights, which will remain lit each evening through Jan. 1.
Coordinator Carol Beachy said several individuals have volunteered to hang lights, a job that will start two to three weeks prior to the kickoff.
“What we could use help with now is testing lights before they go up,” she said.
Volunteers meet at 10 a.m. on Saturdays at the Garrette Park shelter house to go through the hundreds of strands of lights, making sure all are in working order and fixing or replacing those that aren’t.
Beachy also is collecting donations to offset the cost of the event, which runs a minimum of $4,000 a year. The main expenses are electricity and rental of a lift so that volunteers can get lights strung in the treetops.
Beachy hopes to raise additional funds to purchase new lights to replace some of the old ones. She’s also looking for sponsors for the carriage rides, which cost $1,800.
As the new coordinator, Beachy has kept many of the event’s traditions intact. On opening night, Dec. 7, Santa will flip on the lights and members of the West Jefferson High School choir and band will perform. Saturday, Dec. 8, will still feature a lighted parade.
“We’re also working on some new things. We hope to have a free concert in the hardware store and C&C parking lot (on Main Street) the hour before the parade,” she said.
Also in the works for that Saturday is a winter walk, hosted by the West Jefferson Business Council. Visitors are encouraged to stroll up and down Main Street, visiting participating businesses that will extend their hours into the evening.
For more information about Christmas in the Park, contact Carol Beachy at West Jefferson Hardware, 228 E. Main St., (614) 879-9036. Monetary donations can be sent to: “Christmas in the Park,” P.O. Box 292, West Jefferson, OH 43162.
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