The Willow Glen Resident Red and green banners will decorate downtown Lighted trees may or may not be ready By Cecily Barnes After merchants and residents fired off angry phone calls last year about the lack of holiday decorations on Lincoln Avenue, the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association got busy. This season, board members have arranged for colorful flags and maybe even lighted trees to adorn downtown Willow Glen through the holidays. However, the traditional garlands, which decorated the Avenue on and off for at least 45 years, will stay in their storage spot as they did last year. "Last year we took a look at the garlands and they were in such bad shape and we had virtually no money," said business association treasurer Jeannie Caton, explaining why there were no decorations in '97. "We wanted to be absolutely sure that the same thing didn't happen again. We live in the area too and we want it to be a happy, comfortable, warm place. Decorating the Avenue is one of our highest priorities as far as a board." Next month, 29 red and green banners will arrive at the business office to be hung from lamp posts up and down Lincoln Avenue between Minnesota and Coe. The banners will read "Holiday Greetings Downtown Willow Glen." "They have vertical poles and will hang straight up and down off the metal lamp posts," Caton explained. "They're just like the ones in Japantown." WGBPA president Dave Machado says the banners are cleaner and more attractive than the garlands, and a better representation of the Willow Glen community. Some community members have argued that the garlands are in fine shape and should be put back up. However, business association board members say they're tired of the garlands, and regardless of their condition they will not be used again. "I have nothing personally against the garlands," Machado said, "but they're outdated and we're going for a fresher look." Board member Kathy McDonald has also been busily working to light the trees along Lincoln Avenue by the holidays. Finding power outlets for the light strands and money to pay for the installation have proven to be the two greatest holdups. "It's a humongous project," McDonald admitted. "We don't have a power outlet at each tree, so it's matter of mapping it out. Each tree is a project." McDonald is looking at the possibility of powering the lights at merchant shops, or stringing them to nearby available outlets at the arches. Neither method has been definitively chosen. "Some of the trees will be lit by this holiday season," McDonald promised. "One tree by itself will not be very impressive, but the whole street together, that's what will look good." In addition to pursuing these projects, the business association is encouraging merchants to light up their store windows with white lights. As an incentive, the association will sell light strands to local merchants. "Since we're getting so many, they can order them from us at cost," McDonald said. "We'll deliver them or they can come pick them up." The association hopes to install the banners by Thanksgiving weekend, around the same time as the annual tree-lighting ceremony. "I think it's going to be great. It will really liven up the Avenue," Caton said. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, November 4, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.