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Town anounces expanded light display and new Christmas Light Tour

The Town of Ponoka will flip the switch on an expanded Christmas light display at Lions Centennial Park, as well as launching a new Christmas Light Tour on Dec. 4.
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The Town of Ponoka will flip the switch on an expanded Christmas light display at Lions Centennial Park, as well as launching a new Christmas Light Tour on Dec. 4.

“Ponoka will be glowing and glittering with Christmas lights,” stated the Nov. 23 press release.

Expanded display

The town says the light display at Centennial Park is expected to be “bigger and brighter than ever this year.”

The town is working with a Christmas lighting specialist to design, install and maintain an expanded light display in the park this year, as well as the lights on the town Christmas tree beside the old library, and on the large evergreen tree on the south side of the Ponoka Civic Centre.

The Centennial Park display will include a combination of new lights and existing lights that have been donated over the past few years.

In January, 2020, the Ponoka Lions club donated $1,500 worth of Christmas lights to the Town of Ponoka to boost the display in Lions Centennial Park.

PHOTO: Donation will boost Lions Centennial Park light display next Christmas

“With COVID-19 limiting the number of holiday activities for people to enjoy, our hope is that the expanded Christmas light display at Centennial Park will delight and entertain families as they drive by,” said Andrew Jones, recreation coordinator, in the release.

The decision to work with a lighting specialist was made in consultation and with the support of the town’s Recreation, Parks and Culture Committee.

The community volunteers on that committee initiated the town’s Christmas Light Program in 2017, and have been organizing and putting up the lights in the park every year since then.

”It’s been a lot of work and added responsibility for them. This new change to the Town’s Christmas Light Program will free up our volunteers to support other Town initiatives,” said Jones.”

Christmas Light Tour

The town is inviting residents who are “taking great pride in their home Christmas light display” to enter their home in a self-guided Christmas Light Tour being organized by the town.

“We know there are many citizens in Ponoka who put a lot of effort into their Christmas lights each year. We thought organizing a self-guided tour would be a great, COVID-friendly activity that many people would enjoy,” said Jones,

Town residents are encouraged to contact the town by Dec. 2 if they would like to enter their homes in the tour. Their location will then be added to a Christmas Light Tour map that will be posted on the town website at www.ponoka.ca and on the town’s social media pages by Dec. 4.

To enter your home, phone 403-783-0131 or email recreation@ponoka.ca.

Santa Claus Parade and Tree Lighting

The release states that the town will be making an announcement later this week regarding its plans for when the Santa Claus Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony will be rescheduled.

The events were to take place on Nov. 20 during Almost Midnight Madness but were postponed due to Ponoka County being under enhanced watch list status by the province.

- With files from Town of Ponoka



Emily Jaycox

About the Author: Emily Jaycox

I’m Emily Jaycox, the editor of Ponoka News and the Bashaw Star. I’ve lived in Ponoka since 2015 and have over seven years of experience working as a journalist in central Alberta communities.
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