The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Bah Humbug! Enjoy the dark skies this holiday season!
By Mark Reaman
A majority of the Crested Butte town council have made it clear they don’t want to see a proliferation of holiday lights in town. When approached by local resident and business owner Kim Raines along with Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce director Heather Leonard at the Monday, November 4 council meeting about budgeting a bit more money to spruce up the holiday decorations in town between Thanksgiving and Christmas, there was a pretty clear reluctance to do so.
“I love the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Raines told the council at the public comment section of the meeting. “I am advocating for the town to increase its holiday lighting budget. Myself and some other businesses in town will be asking for approval to do what we did last year and decorate a tree on Elk Avenue in a ceremony on December 7. That drew more than 200 people and was totally funded privately. We understand it is too late to ask for money this year, but we hope that in 2025 it can be better.”
Raines said driving through Gunnison is a beautiful holiday experience while coming into Crested Butte and hitting the main street is pretty dark.
“Our town looks like a scene in a Christmas movie without even trying,” she said. “It would be cooler with just a little bit of extra help.”
“It can attract people to town during a slow time of the season and that can increase town sales tax,” continued Rains. “Festive decorations create a welcoming and bright atmosphere, encouraging residents and visitors to spend more time on Elk in local shops and restaurants. We aren’t asking the town to do it all, citizens and businesses will step up to help make it happen.”
In a letter to the council, Raines emphasized that “holiday lights and displays offer significant benefits to our community, both economically and emotionally…By investing in holiday lighting and decorations, we will enhance our town’s appeal, stimulate the local economy, and improve the overall quality of life for our residents.”
Leonard too made the argument that a more festive Elk Avenue could help local businesses at the start of the ski season. “The first few weeks of the ski season feels like an off-season,” she said. “Last year the group of businesspeople came together to help light up town during a dark period of the year. The goal is to grow visitation and brighten up the community as the days are shrinking. We are asking the town to add a bit more in the 2025 budget for Christmas decorations. You can actually buy those decorations pretty inexpensively in January.”
At the end of the evening during the “other business” portion of the meeting, the council returned to the topic and was lukewarm to the idea.
“Does anyone want to talk about Christmas lights?” asked mayor Ian Billick.
“I like town dark,” responded councilmember Anna Fenerty.
“Me too,” said councilmember Beth Goldstone.
“Me too,” added councilmembers Mallika Magner and Gabi Prochaska.
“Lots and lots and lots of places have plenty of lights,” noted Magner. “We have wonderful dark skies.”
Prochaska said she could possibly be open to adding more holiday lights if they were shut off at a reasonable time. “I could be open to more lights if they were off by nine or ten. But I am a big fan of Crested Butte’s dark skies.”
Magner asked town attorney Karl Hanlon if Crested Butte could legally spend money celebrating a religious holiday.
“Holiday lights are normal and pretty neutral. There are no legal issues with it,” he assured the council.
Fenerty said the Old Town Inn that is under new ownership had invested in more holiday lights for this year so she said the entrance of town would have a good display of lights.
“But holiday lights are not where I want to spend town funds,” said Fenerty. “I have no problem with the private sector doing it and putting on the tree lighting ceremony, but I don’t think the town should do it.”
“I count four people on council not inclined to support the holiday lights idea, so there’s the answer,” concluded Billick.
