Luminaria 2019 Update

It’s almost luminaria time again. Yay! For new residents, this is where we come together to build 11,000 luminarias consisting of tealights set in paper bags weighted with sand and placed along our sidewalks. Each block holds a “luminaria build party” to build and place their luminaria which is a great opportunity to spend quality time with your fellow neighbors in the spirit of the holidays.

What’s Different This Year

Last year we switched from wax to LED tealights. This year we will put new batteries in the tealights, and batteries used last year will be collected and recycled. The tealights do not require any tools for this. A simple plastic tab opens the battery compartment door.

Luminaria is ON for Christmas too, woohoo!

This year we will include Christmas night, so instead of 3 luminaria nights, this year it will be 4 starting Sunday 12/22 and continuing through Wednesday 12/25. People from our neighborhood and the valley stroll our sidewalks to enjoy luminaria. This is a fun way to meet neighbors from other streets. In the past I’ve greeted residents with “Hi neighbor!” and immediately found myself engaged in a friendly exchange.

Returning the LED tealights

Willo invested in purchasing 11,000 LED tealights and that means we must collect them afterwards. If you help your block by cleaning up after the event, DO NOT keep or toss out the LED tealights. These MUST be returned to 60 W LEWIS AVE for storage and reuse next year.

Block Captains

Willo has 15 streets, 44 blocks in all, and we include 3rd & 5th avenues. Luminaria can ONLY happen if we come together to MAKE it happen. PLEASE do not assume someone else will do it for your block. Every year we struggle to ensure no block “goes dark”; ones that have NO LUMINARIA because they have no block captain.

Each block needs a volunteer (block captain) who directs the effort.
The sense of community we all appreciate requires actual participation!

So, what does a block captain need to do? Each block captain picks up luminaria supplies on Saturday 12/21, coordinates a “build party” with their neighbors who build, place and “light” them on the first night. The LEDS are a set-it and forget-it piece; turn them on once and simply turn them off afterwards. After the event, block captains return the LED tealights and any unused bags to me for reuse next year.

You can volunteer for more than one block and block captains will be emailed guidance and given materials to make the effort as easy as possible.

Become A Block Captain Today!

Our online luminaria sign-up system has more info and always shows the current status for each block.  www.bit.ly/2019-luminaria

You may also contact me directly:  Chris Norton, 480-559-9775  VividViews@gmail.com.