Luminarias History & How You Can Get Involved
Published on 11/15/2017 • Posted in Events
It’s Time Again
To recap, a luminaria (pronounced loomeneerea) is a Christmas lantern consisting of a candle set in a paper bag weighted with sand and typically placed with others along a driveway or sidewalk as a holiday decoration. Each year Willo lights 33,000 candles in 11,000 paper bags; it’s a staggering community and volunteer achievement. So how did we get here?
How It All Began
Several people have asked me that question in the past and until recently, I couldn’t answer it. Even our current board members didn’t know. I eventually tracked down and met with Diane Blanco on the 300 block of Lewis Ave who started it all 37 years ago. And yes! She still lives in the same home in Willo she’s owned for almost 45 years. Diane graciously shared several stories during my interview with her.
Early on, she had become friends with Byron and Jo Ann Stalcup who also lived at 301 W Lewis Ave. One day she told Byron how her friends to the north on Wagon Wheel Dr were doing luminaria for their street and Byron suggested the two of them should do it for their block. After brainstorming one summer afternoon in her garage, a plan was hatched. They went to the Lower Salt River bottom to get sand and they bought brown paper bags and candles from a food store. Jo casually spent the months leading up to December wrapping the candles in aluminum foil and tape because they would burn longer. Rather than using 3 votive candles per bag as we do today, they used one full-sized candle.
Diane, Byron and Jo lit the luminarias at 7 pm and at 10 pm, they blew out the candles. They quickly discovered this didn’t work well as they would blow out a candle, take three steps and blow again. Long before they had extinguished their 100+ luminarias, they were all out of breath. Jo came up with an idea to use a turkey baster to blow out the candles and that worked well for them.
Their kids would also pitch in and one-year Bryon’s son Matthew made clay pots. They tried using the pots with lighter fluid instead of candles. But the pots hadn’t been fired in a kiln and after the fluid burned a little while, the pots cracked which left them scrambling to find candles.
Each year they built, set up and lit luminarias for each of four nights on their block of Lewis Ave between 3rd and 5th avenues. Over the years, people from neighboring blocks took interest and before long, everybody wanted to do it. Traditionally, luminarias are made from brown paper bags. While others started using white bags, they stuck with brown bags in keeping with a Southwest feel. Eventually the popularity of white paper bags persuaded them, and they switched.
Seven (7) years after starting luminaria on their block, Byron passed away. Jo and Diane carried on with the tradition, and Diane did the luminarias on her block for a total of 17 years. Today the residents of the 300 block of Lewis Ave largely consist of an older generation. Many of them have physical limitations that make it difficult, if not impossible, to build and light luminarias. Sadly, in recent years their block has been under a threat of “going dark” as it’s been a challenge to find a volunteer to cover it. The good news is Diane is still here and she’d be happy to host a holiday party for people to build her block’s luminaria.
Don’t Let Your Block Go Dark!
Willo consists of 15 streets, 44 blocks in all and it’s truly beautiful to see every block and 3rd & 7th avenues lined with luminaria. But this can ONLY happen if our community comes together to make it happen! Each block needs a volunteer and, as of November 9th, we have only 21 of the 44 blocks covered.
So, what’s needed from a volunteer? Truthfully, very little if you delegate! Like the saying goes “many hands make light work”. Each block captain needs to pick up bags, candles, sand and lighters from the organizer, schedule a time and place for residents to build their luminarias, set them out along the sidewalks and light them each night. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for the block to hold a pot luck or holiday party! You don’t have to host building the luminarias. That can be done at anyone’s house and is typically done outside.
Each block needs at least 1 volunteer OR IT WILL GO DARK. You can volunteer for more than one block and you can volunteer to be someone’s backup. Volunteers will be emailed additional guidance to make their task as easy as possible.
Get Involved
Our online luminaria sign-up sheet has all the details and always shows the latest status for each block.
Current Block Coverage
| Covered Blocks | |
| Cambridge – 500 | MaryAnne Majestic |
| Coronado – 100 | Murray & Biby Carbonneau |
| Coronado – 500 | Darren Leek |
| Cypress – 500 | Wylie Carhartt |
| Edgemont – 100 | Philip Talarico |
| Edgemont – 300 | Salina & Josh Bednarek |
| Encanto – 100 | Lisa Hunt |
| Encanto – 300 | Linda Vachata |
| Encanto – 500 | Robert Buhrman |
| Granada – 500 | Bitsy Susich |
| Monte Vista – 300 | Nestor Gonzalez |
| Monte Vista – 500 | Andrea Meury |
| Palm – 100 | Gene Nance |
| Palm – 300 | Paul Andres |
| Palm – 500 | Kathy Moore |
| Vernon – 100 | Ruth Anne Pedersen |
| Vernon – 300 | Juan And Robert Ruiz-Langley |
| Virginia – 500 | Howard & Kelly Frampton |
| Wilshire – 100 | Mike Moore |
| Windsor – 300 | Jim Stewart |
| Windsor – 500 | Kevin & Jane Kottmer |
| Dark Blocks Needing Volunteers | |
| Almeria – 100 | |
| Almeria – 300 | |
| Almeria – 500 | |
| Cambridge – 100 | |
| Cambridge – 300 | |
| Coronado – 300 | |
| Cypress – 100 | |
| Cypress – 300 | |
| Edgemont – 500 | |
| Granada – 100 | |
| Granada – 300 | |
| Holly – 100 | |
| Holly – 300 | |
| Holly – 500 | |
| Lewis – 100 | |
| Lewis – 300 | |
| Lewis – 500 | |
| Vernon – 500 | |
| Virginia – 100 | |
| Virginia – 300 | |
| Wilshire – 300 | |
| Wilshire – 500 | |
| Windsor – 100 | |