2011 Christmas Tree

Last Saturday, December 3rd, was the Christmas in the Ville celebration, which signalled the lighting of the tree and the arrival of Santa Claus. From all accounts, it was a grand success and plans are already in the works for next year's event. The lights on the tree at the southwest corner of the main four are lit around the clock -- it is a wonderful beacon of light illuminating commuters leaving early in the morning and a welcoming sight in the evening. I wax poetic only because of my surprise.

The other morning I sat (in my truck because it was about 15 degrees and snowy) and took pictures of the tree and some of the other lights, and as I sat there for no more than five minutes, I was amazed at the traffic going through the light at the intersection. It was a constant stream. At that time of the morning, the majority of the traffic heading north on Grand would be for the schools, but the line of cars heading east and west and also south on Grand truly surprised me.

As I work locally but not having to drive through town in the early hours, this traffic was an eye-opener for me -- kind of got me thinking how wonderful it would be to make the downtown ever more inviting year 'round. The DPW does a fabulous job of keeping everything clean and well-maintained, the flowers in the summer are beautiful, the upcoming ice rink is always a real plus, but I've wondered if additional lights could be an interesting trend for such celebrations as Fourth of July, Easter, etc. Just my thoughts . . . any thoughts from you?

In the meantime, be sure to see all the Christmas lights this holiday season in downtown Fowlerville.