The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Downtown lights up with annual Winterfest
Long before Cleveland’s Public Square lights up for the Christmas season, a massive amount of manpower is set in motion.
Much of it involves decorating the downtown area outside Tower City, including the installation of 500,000 lights.
More than 50 volunteers assist with the task, including a number of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers from Local 38, based in Cleveland.
“We start early on Saturday mornings before sunrise, and we have ground crews and aerial crews start working in different sections of the square,” said IBEW Business Manager Dennis Meaney, of Euclid. “The ground crews start wrapping the tree trunks with strings of lights in even spaces. … We have other ground crews that use long extension poles to hang the stringers on the tops of the smaller trees. Then we have our aerial crews working off ladders and hydraulic lifts hanging the lights in the bigger trees.”
IBEW got involved as a way to give back to the community, said President Michael Muzic, of Mentor.
“We’ve worked downtown on many construction projects and have always felt our need to be a big part of the success of Cleveland,” Muzic said. “It is always nice to see people from all parts of Northeast Ohio enjoy the lighting at Public Square.
“I’ve lived in Mentor most of my life and have always felt that if Cleveland succeeds, so do the surrounding cities and counties. We really enjoy the camaraderie and the brotherhood we share while being a part of the installation of the lights.”
Meaney said he’s been involved in Winterfest for about a decade, and he’s noticed some changes during the years.
“Cleveland looks great these days with all of the people living downtown,” he said. “There is so much action going on while we are working on the square compared to years ago when we were doing this. It would only be ourselves and a few stragglers going by, but now there are people up early going to breakfast, jogging and walking their dogs. There is a steady stream of people all day long coming to visit the square, shopping, riding their bikes and going to events. It is wonderful to see.”
The IBEW crew volunteers for a variety of projects, such as Habitat For Humanity and Purple Heart Homes for disabled veterans. The group does the Winterfest work in conjunction with Downtown Cleveland Alliance, which has been producing Winterfest since the 1990s.
“Winterfest draws thousands of families across northeast Ohio and beyond,” said DCA President and CEO Joe Marinucci.
The event, held Nov. 25, offered free ice skating and horse-drawn carriage rides, live entertainment, gourmet food trucks, the tree-lighting ceremony and fireworks.
Rachel Lepard of Perry Township brought a van-load of teenagers, including a couple of her children.
“When a group of teens asks you to take them to downtown Cleveland so they can take part in ringing in the Christmas season, you say yes!” she said. “Christmas brings out the child in all of us. Teens have a tendency to grow up too quickly. They need to remember what it was like to just be a kid for a moment.”