The streets are alive with the lights of Christmas thanks to Laura Gillespie and her hard-working town crew.
“We are working on decorating Main Street Innisfail, the Chamber of Commerce/Tourist Information booth, and the east end of town by the Co-op Mall,” said Laura Gillespie, the town's horticulturalist.
Her crew started the task of decorating on Dec. 10, and it was estimated that by Dec. 12, it would be complete.
“Seasonal enhancements will be done on the lampposts, and thousands of LED lights will be lighting up the trees and shrubs on either edge of town,” Gillespie added.
The nearly 40 strands of lights have been used for three years now and have resulted in a major electricity savings for the town.
“Light-up banner borders and artificial evergreen pole wraps will be put on the 20-plus lamp poles, and the banners we used last year will be reused,” she said. “We are trying to recreate the summer landscape with our decorating, but will have to see what it turns out like.”
Initially, decorating efforts were planned for the week of December 2 to 6, but inclement weather prevented the job being done. A small snowfall over the weekend did result in some extra work to prepare the trees and shrubs for decorating, and once the snow clearing was done, decorating began in earnest.
“We are pleased with the results, and hope that this makes Main Street Innisfail look a little more festive,” said Gillespie.
