Where are you Christmas?
No, seriously, where have the Christmas lights gone from downtown? Many residents, and town council, would like to know.
While Paris may be the city of lights, it appears that these days Perth is the city that Christmas lights forgot – and no, the Grinch has not been busy pilfering our lights.
“I’ve been approached as to why the town has not put up the (Christmas) lighting,” said Deputy Mayor John Gemmell during the town council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 18, with just a few scant days, shopping and otherwise, to go before the big day. “It is not the town. It is the BIA. They will make every attempt to put it up.”
Gemmell later stated that “there is something within the works as to who is responsible for doing what,” regarding the lights.
Coun. Jim Graff noted that the BIA is, in effect, a committee of council and if the lights were not up by at least mid-December, “that’s pretty sad. We have to do better.” Graff noted that Smiths Falls lights – and, in fairness, so too are Carleton Place’s – were up weeks ago, and on a recent trip there, they “are absolutely beautiful.”
Mayor John Fenik asked chief administrative officer John deRosenroll to contact the BIA on the matter.
“A town without Christmas lights is like a Hershey kiss without the chocolate,” said Fenik, searching for an apt metaphor. “If they (the BIA) can’t do it…we should look at it more closely,” to see who can do it.
By contrast, some local residents are making up for the lack of lights along the way with their own holiday feasts for the eyes. The home at 34 Harvey St. recently won the inaugural residential Christmas decorating contest, winning $100 from Perth Tourism. In second place was 69 Beckwith St. and in third place, 7 Glascott St.
“I stop, amazed at the decorations,” said Fenik, in reference to the first place house. “Congratulations go out to all of the participants for making the town merry and bright.”
While there were only five entrants in all, he commended all of the participants for their “amazing artistic work.”