Canopy light strands get LED bulbs, annual lighting set for Nov. 29
On Tuesday, a crew from Cassady Electrical Contractors worked with Monroe County maintenance staff to start re-stringing the strands of lights that connect the courthouse roofline with buildings around the square. The strands form the canopy in the “Canopy of Lights” that’s switched on the day after Thanksgiving every year. This year that’s Nov. 29.
What’s new this year will be the bulbs. This year they’ve all been swapped out with LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs, which offer considerable energy savings compared to incandescent bulbs.
About $12,000 of the roughly $16,500 total cost of the bulbs was paid by Monroe County, according to the board of commissioners office. The difference was paid by Downtown Bloomington, Inc., which hosts the “Canopy of Lights.” To cover the cost of the bulbs and some other, unrelated electric costs, the county council approved an additional appropriation of $26,000 at their Oct. 8 meeting.
Executive director of DBI, Talisha Coppock, told The Beacon that the use of the lifts that are needed the installation of lights every year is donated by MacAllister Rentals.
