COCHRANE— After finding an innovative way to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Cochrane Light Up came to an end this weekend.
Crews began removing the lights from Cochrane Square on Saturday (Jan. 2), said Light Up organizer Stephenie Shelstad.
Over the month of December, guests were able to visit the square for a nightly timed light show with accompanying music.
The year 2020 was a challenging experience for many given the pandemic, Shelstad said, and it was exciting knowing Light Up was able to bring joy to the community.
In the last week of the light show, Shelstad said, she was disappointed to receive an email from the Town indicating the lights on the trees in front of the Rockyview Hotel had been disturbed.
“They weren’t gone. They weren’t destroyed or damaged. They were just pulled out of the tree,” Shelstad said. “It was kind of disappointed, but on the other hand you kind of expect that these days— It happens.”
It is fortunate the lights were not taken or destroyed, she said, adding the lights have been packed up safely waiting to be used again in the 2021 Light Up.
Shelstad said she was grateful to host a COVID-safe version of Light Up and appreciated the stories she heard from appreciative community members.
“Every time I drove by if the show was running there was always someone in the gazebo dancing,” Shelstad said. “That made my heart very happy that at least I was able to bring some smiles to some people’s faces.”
Shelstad said she heard of some families that made sure to visit the display and dance to the music every single night it was running.
The one perk to this year's light show, Shelstad said, was due to the modified nature of the event she had the opportunity to relax and enjoy the show herself. In a typical year, usually, she is too busy running the event to stop and watch the lights.
Shelstad has some ideas for the 2021 Light Up, she said, and the committee will begin planning later in the year when it is clearer what public health measures will be in place.
Shelstad added she really likes the Community Light Up that took place for 2020 and hopes they will be able to incorporate it into future celebrations as a signature event.
“Now that we have the base equipment we can just grow from here,” Shelstad said. “I just hope that everybody who did go down and take it in, I hope they really enjoyed it.”
Shelstad encouraged people to visit the Cochrane Light Up Facebook page and comment on their experience to help inform plans for future Light Up celebrations.
