Photo: Contributed
An artist’s rendering of what the new lit scrolls will look like
Penticton’s iconic sliding lights will be back over Lakeshore Drive by next year after approval was finally given for a new LED installation.
The scrolling lights were removed initially due to extensive damage, then fought to be saved and repaired by the community, then left in storage for a year without repair and scrapped in November 2020.
In February 2021, the city council ordered the heritage commission to study the possibility of replacing them with a new LED installation.
Count. Judy Sentes spearheaded the drive to bring the lights back and said she was just “thrilled” to see the light return after she finishes serving this term, which will mark the end of her time at the City Hall desk.
“I actually have to give credit to Mayor John Vasilaki because he encouraged me,” Sentes added. “Council thought about the value, the historical value, the community wanting them back and we budgeted for them.”
“Even though you’ll still hear Mayor John say ‘Christmas lights,’ no, they’re year-round. They will rise and remain.”
The lights are too large to store anywhere easily, so they will remain in their new location at Power Street and Lakeshore Drive once installed to shine all year long.
Originally, three lights hung over Penticton, but escalating costs and inflation led the city to build just one installation.
“I mean, they were lovely at the southern entrance to the city. I would love to see them there too. They were lovely at the end of Main Street where Lakeshore meets… But you know what, in the face of the reality of costs. I’m excited we have one.
The 50-year-old lights were in such poor condition that they could not be salvaged or updated, so an entirely new installation had to be built.
“Sometimes things can’t be fixed and that was the case here. It will probably cost us more to renovate and build it,” Sentes said.
“I’ve been quite committed to our community’s concept of saving our heritage, and these lights are part of that. People remember things; if they’re gone, they’re gone. So I’m excited to see that come to fruition.”
The scrolls are expected to be installed by Christmas 2023.
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