Hayden Holz
A large crowd gathers in Old Town Square for Fort Collins’ annual Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony Nov. 7.
Fort Collins locals, Colorado State University students and alumni, a 6-foot costumed Yeti, a similarly adorned penguin mascot, an Instagram-famous Pomeranian and local politicians were among those gathered in Old Town Square Nov. 7 for the Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony, a beloved annual event during which 22 block-faces of downtown are illuminated in string lights.
Kelly Ohlson, current Fort Collins City council member, delivered opening remarks prior to the 6:30 p.m. illumination, saying the installation of lights takes about six weeks and begins in September. From the first weekend in November through Valentine’s Day, the holiday lights will remain lit.
The energy-efficient LED lights are sustainable and run along College Avenue to the northern boundary of Laporte Avenue and stretch down to the southern edge of Magnolia Street.
The holiday lights resulted from a partnership between the City of Fort Collins and the Downtown Development Authority, and this year saw a sponsorship from Connexion, a local broadband utility company.
“This year, our Holiday Lighting Ceremony is sponsored by Fort Collins Connexion,” said Valerie Van Ryn, the marketing and communications manager for City of Fort Collins Parks and Recreation. “This is a long-standing event in Fort Collins and one that is well-attended and highly beloved by our community. … We love bringing people together in our Old Town, … supporting our local businesses and kicking off our holiday season.”
Live music was performed by Guerrilla Fanfare, a Denver-based brass band, and included both pop and holiday tunes. The family-friendly environment was aided by booths like Elevations Credit Union’s, which featured Freddy the Yeti, the mascot for the credit union’s First Tracks Youth Banking program.
“These events bring everybody together. Everybody has a good time and you meet a lot of people through events like this. It gets you out of your house; it’s fun, and it’s festive.” –Keelie Colson, influencer and Fort Collins resident
Also among attendees was Asha Buehler, a junior at CSU, and her mother, Greer. Greer Buehler traveled from Arizona to spend time with her daughter before the cold weather takes full swing.
“My mom is in town visiting, and she’s not a big fan of the snow, so this will probably be her last time visiting for a while, so we wanted to do something to celebrate Christmas before she heads out,” Asha Buehler said.
Asha Buehler is from Arizona, and her mother lives in California and said that holiday lights represent a family tradition.
“(Fort Collins) is beautiful,” Greer Buehler said. “It’s friendly; it’s clean; it’s the most bike-friendly city I’ve ever come across. … We just wanted to do something festive. This has been a tradition for us for a really long time. Holiday lights are one of our favorite parts of this time of year.”
Other family members reunited at the Holiday Lighting Ceremony as well. Tom and Aurie, who only provided first names, drove to Fort Collins from Vail to visit Tom’s mother, Patty, who also only provided a first name.
“It’s fun, and the weather is warm,” Patty said. “I’ve been here before for the lighting. … The lights here are pretty special.”
For the family, the holiday lights provided connection and sparked memories.
“My parents live here; we like to come down,” Tom said. “Right now, the mountains aren’t open and it’s off-season, so we like to come down and see them. This is our first time coming down to the lighting. … We’ve seen the lights in the past, but never the lighting.”
As the crowds grew and the countdown to the lighting began, many attendees snapped photos with Koda, a small dog dressed in a light-up Christmas tree outfit.
Koda, owned by Keelie Colson, has 216,000 followers on Instagram and recently moved to Fort Collins.
“Koda is an Instagram-famous dog,” Colson said. “We all love Christmas and so Koda was feeling extra festive, and he wanted to come join the party.”
Colson and Koda were filming a video for social media at the Holiday Lighting Ceremony.
“I think he’s a little overwhelmed,” Colson said in reference to Koda. “But he’s having a good time. These events bring everybody together. Everybody has a good time and you meet a lot of people through events like this. It gets you out of your house; it’s fun, and it’s festive.”
Right around 6:30 p.m., city officials, including Ohlson, took to the stage to address the gathered crowd and switch the lights on.
“This is the most magical time of the year,” said Ohslon during his remarks prior to the lighting. “We are very grateful for all of you whose hard work and generosity make this event sparkle.”
Reach Allie Seibel at life@collegian.com or on social media @allie_seibel_.