For many in big cities or small towns it’s been a dull and fretful year. Pandemic closures and cancellations left many celebrations, from class reunions to nursing home visits to concerts to vacations, dark.
But tiny Spur, not to be deterred, has come up with some welcome ways to shine.
Spur Area Chamber of Commerce leaders began looking into alternatives to the city’s locally made lighted holiday decorations that traditionally adorned its Burlington Avenue streetlight poles, when several of them became damaged and worn a couple of years back.
Colorful banners were a fine substitute in daylight hours, said chamber board member and then president Steve Bridges, but the main commercial route was left mostly dark after sunset. New fixtures would have been a pricey investment.
This year, with the help of Cap Rock Telephone staff and bucket truck, current chamber president Matt McArthur acquired strings of white lights and connected them into plugs at the top of most of the poles. Other chamber members and friends wrapped them around the poles—wrapping up just in time for last Thursday’s Late Night Shopping event.
“Thank you Andrew, Ronnie and Hayden for putting up the Christmas flags,” staff posted on the City of Spur Facebook page.
“My understanding is that a previous iteration of the chamber donated the electrical outlets,” said McArthur. “The outlets are on timers so they are powered during sundown hours.”
There’ll be even more lights along Burlington on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 18, when Spur Hardware hosts a lighted parade that’s being billed as the “First Annual Holiday Cheermiester Downtown Parade” starting at 6 p.m. Participants are welcome to register by calling Michelle Bilbrey at (806) 269- 1698; details are available at the Spur Farmer’s Market and Trade page on Facebook.
Following the parade, the chamber will present another event new in Spur’s recent memory—a Christmas Ball from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Show Barn in Swenson Park. The dance, featuring local favorite the Fabulous Sandbillies, will also offer a basked-goods silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, and goodies at the concession stand. Admission is free.
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