Christmas on the Square: Light up your storefront December 7th!

Christmas on the Square: Thoughts from a seasoned resident

By Paul Henry

Longtime photographer

For the past 20-plus years, during the typical holiday season, I've taken a night or two to walk around our Fayetteville square with a camera in hand, trying to capture the warmth and charm of our town. If I remember correctly a couple of years ago I posted pictures taken during a rainstorm, which gave a different look compared to previous Christmases. Of course, the best is when it snows, but a wet street creates beautiful reflections.

One limitation I’ve noticed while doing this on a random schedule is that some storefront windows are decorated, but by the end of the day, the lights go off. There is certainly magic in lighting! However, I completely understand the effort required for a small-town business to keep the lights on, even during business hours.

So, I thought about how, with a coordinated effort from our merchants, we could “light them up” for a weekend. Some windows take more work than others to decorate, so I’m asking that you all make them shine for a few nights!

Now, I must admit, my early years of watching old-school Saturday Night Live are creeping in here. Yes, I felt guilty asking our merchants to do this for me, so I would like to encourage them to do it for our community.

I think the night of the Christmas parade would probably be the best night for this, but I’m open to any other ideas. It gets dark early this time of year, so I want to encourage the community to take photos of your windows before and after the Christmas parade. I’d also like to encourage friends, families, and groups dressed in Christmas attire to use your windows as a backdrop. It would be great to see the Lady Bulldogs from Blanche bring some Christmas cheer to the square!

Camera phones are fantastic these days, so just make sure they are fully charged. If you have a DSLR, bring it along to capture some beautiful photos with all the available lighting. Tripods are welcomed and encouraged for long exposures!

Now, what happens after we hopefully generate lots of photos at the end of the night? I’d like to see them collected and sent to an Elk Valley Times Gmail address. I’ve discussed this with General Manager Lora Scripps, and she’s agreed that the best 20 or 25 photos can be posted online, with the winner chosen by votes from the community. That winner would receive a gift basket and a print of their submission.

To ensure the image quality necessary for prints, please email a high-resolution JPEG photo. Additionally, EVT will upload all submitted photos on social media for the community to share.

But if some merchants choose not to participate that is certainly their choice.

I know I have a carpenter's logic, but this seems like a win for downtown and all those involved.

Thoughts are greatly appreciated.

**A gift basket and print will be awarded to the winning photographer, and a print will be given to the store owner.