New location, new delights as plaza lighting brightens downtown Longmont
Nov. 26—Longmont was launched into the holidays at the "Light Up the Plaza" event, an annual tradition that drew community members of all ages downtown Friday night.
The event is a joint effort among the Longmont Downtown Development Authority, the Longmont Creative District and the city of Longmont. Colin Argys, one of the event coordinators, estimated that upwards of 500 people attended the event.
"It's great to see this many people kicking off the holiday season," Argys said.
This year's lighting was held in a new place: the Civic Center Plaza, in front of the Longmont Public Library. The plaza at Sixth Avenue and Main Street has long hosted the lighting, but the LDDA wanted to experiment with a different venue, which meant keeping the Christmas tree at the original location.
"It's a very popular community event, and we just felt like it deserved a bigger space for people to come celebrate," Argys said.
Another first for the ceremony was the addition of a laser light show from Longmont-based provider Laserosity. Laserosity owner Theo Petrides flashed colorful holiday designs on the library wall as families danced to Christmas classics and upbeat tunes.
Guests were invited to answer holiday trivia, join a hula hoop contest and grab photos with Santa as they waited for the plaza to be lit. Free hot chocolate was also available to everyone courtesy of local real estate group Erik Ingvaldsen & Associates. Lights came on around 6:45 p.m., drawing cheers from the crowd as the surrounding trees were filled with blues, reds and greens.
Adalee Mathias, a volunteer for the ceremony, said she's helped put on the event for 12 years. For Mathias, the ceremony helps people get into the Christmas spirit after Thanksgiving.
"When the lights come on, everyone's eyes glisten," she said. "It's really pretty. I love seeing how happy the kids get, and I love making downtown a better community."
