Going green for Christmas

MILLERTON — The evergreen tree at the junction of routes 22 and 44 was decorated with roughly 3,000 LED Christmas lights on Friday, Dec. 2, by a group of volunteers.

Deemed the “beacon of Millerton” by Townscape, the town’s enhancement group that performs the decorating and plantings throughout the year, the tree went “green” this year with its red and white illumination.

LED Christmas lights consume roughly 10 to 15 percent of the electricity used by traditional incandescent Christmas lights. They are also rated to burn for 50,000 to 200,000 hours versus only 3,000 hours for incandescent lights.

“We wanted them to be more environmentally correct,” said Townscape President Chris Kennan, noting that the group did a lot of research on LED lights before making the $3,000 light purchase.

Kennan and his volunteers worked hard to decorate the tree, which included removing several strands of old lights and clearing dead vines that snaked through the branches.

“To have a tree that’s big and bright and cheerful is helpful,” said Kennan, noting that it brightens the season despite the hard economic times. “It’s important for people at this time of year.”

Kennan said Townscape raised money to cover the costs of the LED lights, the electricity and the cherry picker truck used to hang the lights, but donations from the townspeople are what made the tree lighting possible.

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less