The Town of Castle Rock shares some of the details of their massive holiday preparations!
Work began in October to spruce up the streets of downtown Castle Rock for the holidays. The Town’s parks division hangs more than 1,000 feet of garland and strings up more than 100,000 lights on Wilcox Street (between Plum Creek Parkway and Interstate 25), lights on trees along Perry Street, lights on Town Hall and police headquarters, and much of the decorations at Festival Park. Contracted companies take care of the 30-foot fully decorated tree at Festival Park and the “blue” tree at the Douglas County Building. All of the work comes together when the lights turn on downtown for the star lighting and the holiday season.
While The Star comes on easily with a “flip of a switch” at Star lighting, preparing for the season involves so much more. The iconic star stands 40 feet tall and 40 feet wide and holds 100 incandescent bulbs. A week before Star lighting, a group of current and former Castle Rock Fire and Rescue firefighters gather equipment and make the trek to the star. On a good day, climbing the side of the rock is precarious. If there’s snow or ice, it’s dangerous and extremely hard to navigate. The same is true for climbing the star. It sways a lot, and any snow or ice makes climbing the star challenging at best. While at the star, the team makes needed repairs and replaces the bulbs. After the star is lit, it’s checked every few days throughout the holidays to replace burned-out or broken bulbs.
These CRFD firefighters volunteered to learn how to maintain the star because of its historical significance to the Town and its residents, bringing hope to many since the Great Depression. They take great pride in upholding that tradition. They are the Keepers of the Star.
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