Christmas Eve 2010 was a little darker along U.S. Highway 2 in Evergreen and that didn’t sit well with Fire Chief Craig Williams. Unlike the previous 20 years, the annual luminary display wasn’t out that evening.
After Williams made a few calls, the display returned in 2011 and this month Evergreen Fire Rescue is preparing for it again. The department is selling memorial luminaries and proceeds from that will go toward the Evergreen School Fitness Team.
“I hate to see traditions like that go away, especially because there really isn’t a lot of community events in Evergreen and there were a lot of people who expected it every year,” Williams said.
The annual luminary display is made up of 1,800 small paper bags with sand and a candle inside. The bags are lined up for two miles on the side of U.S. Highway 2, from the intersection with Rose Crossing to Whitefish Stage Road.
In previous years, neighbors in the Rose Crossing area organized the event, but Williams said by 2010 it just got too expensive for the residents.
“We thought it would be a good idea to continue that tradition,” he said.
When Williams and the fire department revived the luminary display, they also decided to raise money for a good cause. Along with the regular brown paper bags, the department is selling white memorial bags for $5. Williams said people could put the name of someone they would like to remember on the bag or even decorate it. The bags are for sale at Evergreen Fire Station 81, located at 2236 Highway 2 East, and are available until Dec. 23. Williams said bags must be returned to the station by that afternoon so they can be properly displayed.
Last year, the money raised resulted in a $1,200 check for the local Boys and Girls Club. This year, Williams hopes to raise a similar amount of money for the Evergreen School Fitness Team. The after school club provides fitness opportunities for students throughout the year.
Williams said members of his department would start lighting and setting up the luminaries around 2 p.m. on Dec. 24 and hope to have all of it done before dusk. He said it is an impressive light display and is so bright at times that people can drive through without their lights on.
For more information about acquiring a memorial bag, please call Evergreen Fire Rescue at (406) 752-4636.