Cold temperatures weren't enough to send Cochranites into hibernation on one of the year's biggest nights.
The Nov. 23 celebration wasn't the coldest Light Up on record. Even the year it hit minus 30, Cochranites didn't flinch, coming out by in the thousands to welcome the festive season.
"There's always Christmas spirit here despite the cold," says Chris Heier, returning as chair for the second year. "I think we all remember the minus 30 Light Up. It was still packed, and we all still had a blast. It was great."
In its 40 years, the kickoff to the festive season has grown to new heights, particularly in the last decade. In 2013, Marni Fedeyko and Stephenie Shelstad headed up a committee that envisioned a fuller evening, fuelled by the generous support of sponsors.
As chair, Heier is proud to help continue to make it one of the highlights of the years.
"The fact that it's now 40 years, and it's just continually growing. It's one of the biggest events in town, so I'm happy to be a part of it."
Hot dogs are a staple of the night but as the years have gone on, they've become fancier gourmet dogs, like the chili dogs of West Fraser or the maple bacon available to enhance the taste at Remax.
There are plenty of other treats and giveaways. Dr. Greg Barnett and his team have been a fixture of Light Up for over a decade and always have something special up their sleeves.
"Last year, we had those special sunglasses that turned all the fibres into different things," he says. "Our light sticks were popular a couple of years ago, so we decided to bring them back. They're good for light, good for dueling."
And everywhere you turned there was music, mascots, and merriment.
During the opening ceremony, Heier paid tribute to the contribution to Light Up over the years by Rob Halfyard, who sadly passed recently.
Before providing a blessing, Elder JR Twoyoungmen spoke of the need to come together as a people who have lived next to each other for over a hundred years.
A Ukrainian choir also performed to kick off the evening.
A rave stage was a new addition to the evening, featuring the Alberta Mountain Pirates.
"Even one of the deejay producers there decided to take the time to produce some Christmas-themed, I'm guessing, dubstep, but we'll see," said Heier before the rave began.
A tip of the hat goes to the army volunteers and generous sponsors who step forward each year to Light Up magical.
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