Cochrane Light Up might have to consider moving away from Historic Downtown as the event continues to grow.
The 33rd rendition of the event attracted in excess of 13,000 people this year.
“I do believe at some point, Light Up is going to change,” said co-organizer Marni Fedeyko. “Any more people down there, in my mind, holds a safety risk. You can’t pile 20,000 people into a few blocks without something going wrong,” she said.
Fedeyko added this year’s Light Up was a huge success.
“I think it was well received. We certainly had lots of compliments (and) it was a safe event.
There were absolutely no incidents of lost kids or any injuries or anything along that line,” she said.
The event also featured music and dance, a feature, which Fedeyko said brought out the diversity in the community.
“This year more than other years, I really noticed a huge multi-cultural component to Light Up,” Fedeyko said, noting the Aboriginal round dance towards the end of the event was especially spirited.
“It didn’t matter what background you had it was just a connection and it was about drawing everybody together, that had to be my favourite part about watching the whole thing.”
While Fedeyko said the event gets easier to organize each year, this will be her last year at its helm.
“Between council and my job, life is busy,” said the mom of three, who on top of town council, works as a reporter at Cochrane Now.
When Fedeyko first took on the organization of the event, she did so with the hopes of meeting Cochranites since she was new to the town.
“Year after year what brings me back is knowing that you’re doing something great for the community,” she said.
The event will be taken over by the co-organizer, Stephanie Shelstad. Fedeyko said she has no doubt the festival will run just as successfully.
Fedeyko noted that sponsors are key to Light Up’s success and returning sponsors and volunteer continued support will be necessary for expansion.
“Unfortunately, so much of it is tied to money. Without sponsors, Light Up in any capacity can’t happen. So as much as I’d love to see a festival of lights or something big come out of it, it just depends on cash.”
Overall, Fedeyko said running the popular event has been a highlight for her.
“It’s been a fabulous five years,” she said. “We have people that come back year after year after year. It speaks a lot to the community of Cochrane and I’m just thankful.”
