45°
The New Canaan Chamber of Commerce and the Holiday Stroll Committee have worked for months on the event and are looking for donations and support from the community, according to a press release. The event is set to feature entertainment, refreshments and a visit from Santa Claus. The weekend festivities mark the beginning of the holiday season in New Canaan.
"But there is one component, the highlight of the event, that still has a ways to go – and that is the funds needed to light the lights of downtown New Canaan so that Santa was able to pull the switch and ring in the holiday season," the release said. "Contrary to popular belief, the town does not fund this endeavor."
The town of New Canaan absorbs the electricity portion of the event but representatives said in the release that the hardware and manpower could total $21,000 or more.
“People assume that the town has some secret stash that they dip in to for events such as these," said New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tucker Murphy in the release. “And often it goes unspoken, but residents should know that it doesn’t work like that.”
The Chamber and the merchants of New Canaan have started donation outreach and representatives said all donations are welcome and can be sent to the Chamber at 91 Elm St., New Canaan. Checks can be made payable to “New Canaan Holiday Lights.”
“Approximately 150 hours of manpower to light 50 trees with 400 strands of lights,” said Rob Hutchinson of Hutchinson Tree Care Specialists in the release. “We are up on the cherry pickers [trucks] for about 50 hours, on the ground for 100 hours, plus there’s day to day maintenance while the lights are up and the break down in the end. Not to mention the traffic control and police work involved.”
Those wishing to support The New Canaan Holiday Stroll are asked to contact Murphy at Tucker@newcanaanchamber.com or by phone at 203-966-2004.
Click here to follow Daily Voice New Canaan and receive free news updates.
