Lighting up this Past Holiday Season

Downtown Dallastown’s holiday decorations are a staple in the community, so what caused the lights to suddenly change during the holiday season of 2022?

Janel Stump, Reporter|January 25, 2023

Sienna Seufert

The wreaths were placed over the entrances of each side of town welcoming everyone to the festive decorations.

A new year marks a fresh start and often new changes. Some of these changes were even seen as early as the holidays season when downtown Dallastown got brand new decorations.

The main square of Dallastown was lit up with red and green with four poinsettia lights hung in the square. (Olivia Brenneman)

The new lights that were seen throughout Dallastown were purchased by Dallastown’s Borough in early 2022.

The old lights that decorated Dallastown’s streets were over 20 years old. At the end of each holiday season, the lights were in need of repair in order to be able to withstand another winter.

The new wreaths were hung up at the entrance of either end of town. (Sienna Seufert)

The new decorations were a little flashier than the older ones.

“I noticed the new lights right away,” Dallastown English teacher Miss Gable said. “I grew up in the Dallastown area, and just remember the wreaths that used to be out for the holidays.”

Another teacher had a front row seat of all the holiday festivities.

“I live on Main St and have a direct view of the lights outside my bedroom window,” Mrs. Capatch, math teacher at Dallastown, states. Capatch’s husband is also part of the group who made the decision to purchase the new decorations.

The ornaments were one of the newly selected designs for the new lights. (Sienna Seufert)

How did this come about? The Lions Club owned the old lights and were looking to replace them, but did not have the adequate funds.

The Borough put aside money provided by ARPA (The American Rescue Plan Act) in order to purchase the new lights.

David Garabedian, Zoning and Codes Officer, and Connie Stokes, Borough Manager, selected the designs of the new lights that were seen decorating Dallastown this past holiday season.

The snowflake and ornament lights alternated up through the town. (Sienna Seufert)

The new decorations span a large portion of Main Street starting with wreaths across the street on either end of town. One side starts around Roburritos and the other ends around Parma Pizza.

There are also snowflakes and ornaments on telephone poles and a colorful display at the square near Romas.