Let there be light
Greenwich looks to return holiday lights to the Avenue
GREENWICH — Will there be lights on Greenwich Avenue this holiday season?
If a group of citizens and business owners are successful, then the answer will be a yes, with the festive lights returning after last year’s holidays went atypically dark. But public support is needed.
“We’re very excited to be able to bring this back and do it better than ever,” said Sebastian Dostmann, who is overseeing the fundraising effort. “We are looking to get as much support from the community as we can.”
According to Dostmann, the fundraising has reached 80 percent its goal to light up the night for the holidays in downtown Greenwich. If things go well, they might be able expand the lights display to other parts of town, he said.
“We’re almost at our goal, but we want to keep going,” Dostmann said.
The plan is to turn on the lights on Nov. 27, which is the day after Thanksgiving, he said. The cost is about $1,000 per tree.
The managing partner of Seabass Events and Entertainment, Dostmann said they plan to use Christmas Lighting Co. for the all-new display. That is the same vendor used in Stamford, and he said they were recommended after
consultations with the Stamford Downtown organization.
The fundraising efforts come after a year with no lights in downtown Greenwich, which disappointed many residents and merchants. Dostmann said he wanted to make a strong effort to bring back the lights in 2020, noting that this is a year when many people could enjoy the lights and holiday cheer.
“This has been a staple in town for so many years,” he said. “Living in town and growing up in town, this has been something I have always seen and admired. One of the highlights of the holiday season was driving down Greenwich Avenue and seeing all those lights.
“It’s a lot of work, but it looks beautiful and I was happy to step in,” Dostmann said. “We’d like to see this grow bigger and go strong for years to come. I think given the circumstances this year, it’s even more important. People need it even more just to bring some joy and energy down to the Avenue and encourage people to come out and visit the merchants.”
The lights on Greenwich Avenue had been a town tradition for years.
They were never been provided by the town government. Instead, it has been a private effort, which originated with the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. It was taken over by Greenwich Green and Clean until 2017, when it stopped to focus instead on its cleanup and beautification efforts in town.
In 2018, merchants banded together to light up the night. But that effort was not be repeated in 2019, leading to Dostmann’s efforts this year.
Conversations about bringing back the lights began in January, with the fundraising beginning in earnest in August.
“We’ve gotten some great support from merchants on Greenwich Avenue, and there’s a lot of great energy behind this effort,” Dostmann said.
Dostmann praised the work of Alyssa Keleshian, whose father Harry was one of the first people to bring lights to Greenwich Avenue in the 1970s. The head of K Investments Inc., Keleshian led the local merchant effort in 2018 and is a major part of the work this year.
He also singled out the support of First Selectman Fred Camillo, who said he hopes there can be a lighting ceremony.
“It left a hole in the holiday season last year when we couldn’t have the lights up,” Camillo said. “We are very thankful that this is happening and that Sebastian and Alyssa have taken the lead on this as we try to move to a more permanent solution.”
The Chamber of Commerce is on board with the efforts, too.
“Greenwich Chamber of Commerce has supported holiday lights for numerous years,” Chamber President and CEO Marcia O’Kane said.”We are again one of the many proud sponsors of this event and encourage everyone to contribute to this effort which, during an extremely challenging year, will provide joy to shoppers, residents, businesses and visitors.”
For more information and to make a donation, visit www.gwchavenue.com , where sponsors and other donors will be recognized. Dostmann said that “every single dollar” will go directly to the lights project.