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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 18, 2004 Medford�s Main Street is ready for the Winter Light Festival, scheduled for Friday. But this year may the celebration�s last. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Turn out the Light Festival? By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Without an infusion of volunteer spirit, Medford’s 14th annual holiday celebration, scheduled Friday, may be its last. "There won’t be any stars, there won’t be any tree, unless someone takes charge," said Glenda Owens, assistant to the city manager. Owens and several other organizers of Medford’s Winter Light Festival are backing off after this year’s event. "People just don’t realize how much work it takes," she said. Medford Mayor Lindsay Berryman, who will be Mrs. Claus again this year, said she hopes a club such as Rotary or Kiwanis adopts the event. Advertisement "I think it’s going to need an organization where there’s a membership to draw from," she said. Berryman said that while downtown is making a comeback — recent years have seen new buildings and several restorations — it takes time to regain local residents’ interest. "It’s part of that downtown deterioration that we were seeing 20, 25 years ago — turnaround takes time," she said. Those who attend this year’s event will have plenty to see and do. It begins at 4 p.m. Friday at Hawthorne Park with music and food. The Veterans of Foreign Wars will sell hot chili, Phil Yates from ACCESS will sell roasted chestnuts, the Parks and Recreation Department will supervise marshmallow toasting and the Salvation Army will give away hot chocolate. Choirs from McLoughlin Middle School, Hedrick Middle School and St. Mary’s High School will perform. A candy cane hunt will begin promptly at 4:30 p.m. and is predicted to be over quickly. Santa Claus will be available to hear Christmas wishes from 4 to 5:30 p.m. At 6 p.m., the group will walk up Main Street to Vogel Plaza, singing Christmas carols along the way. The lighting of the 40-foot Christmas tree, donated by Boise Corp., will take place at 6:40 p.m. in Vogel Plaza. Owens said the Winter Light Festival is held before Thanksgiving so it doesn’t conflict with other communities’ holiday events, and so that the downtown is decorated for the biggest shopping day of the year: the day after Thanksgiving. Volunteers formed a nonprofit organization two years ago to organize the event, similar to groups behind the Pear Blossom Festival and Art in Bloom. But many other organizations and people have been involved over the years. Scott and Leesa Henselman took up the cause in 1997 after being disappointed in a sparsely attended tree lighting at Alba Park. In one year they livened up the event and increased attendance from about 20 to 2,500, said Scott Henselman. The couple organized the celebration for five years. He said the event calls for a lot of volunteer time to handle fund raising and coordination that starts mid-summer. "This takes about 100 hours to do," he said. City staff hope someone will carry the torch. "Over the years, the city has contributed $45,000 in decorations," said Owens. "It would be a shame to have them sit in a warehouse somewhere." For more information or to volunteer, contact the city manager’s office at 774-2000. Holiday celebrations: A look through history Medford’s yuletide cheer has been varied and sporadic, according to Mail Tribune archives: 1898 — Holiday concerts are held downtown in conjunction with New Year’s. 1915 — The city’s first official Christmas tree is lit by Mayor Vernon Emerick. 1930s — Downtown merchants stage celebrations to mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season, and in 1939, Santa Claus comes to town. 1946 — Christmas celebrations resume after World War II. 1953 — Downtown merchants organize a parade, which is held every year until 1957. 1990 — The tree-lighting ceremony is brought to life in Alba Park by efforts of radio personality Bob White (now known as Neale Donald Walschcq — author of the popular "Conversations with God" books). 1997 — Scott and Leesacq Henselman, of Henselman Realty & Management, spruce up the event, bringing lights and a large tree to Vogel Plaza. 1999 — The downtown Christmas parade is revived. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities