East Hiram Street in Atlanta has never had such huge pine cones hanging from its streetlamp posts.
That’s Brian Adcock, owner of Santa Beacon’s holiday lighting business, who is hanging a double tree ornament on the East Main lamp post.
A bonus of holiday night lights at the veterans’ plaza is that the military monuments and benches reflect the lights.A moment’s pause is engendered for each black granite insignia.
Here’s the place to stop, sit and have your picture taken. There will be no better spot. It’s all part of the veterans’ plaza lighting for the holidays.
The “ring” ornament at the Woods Park on East Hiram is enchanting, either by day or nighttime. Miranda Johnson has taken a moment to make a memorable picture of Reed, her eight year old son.
Brightening up downtown
Atlanta’s downtown is decorating itself as never before. Not only is the holiday season emphasized but also the town’s business and marketing attractions are being lighted up.
Thousands of lights are being installed downtown because the Atlanta City Development Corporation (ACDC) wanted citizens to know Atlanta’s downtown is welcoming, safe and even entertaining -- a good place to bring the kids and grandparents, too.
Of course, Christmas is in the air, but the new and superior bright and colorful lights are projecting another message, i.e., coming to downtown Atlanta is fun.
It all began in the summer when the members of the ACDC undertook a project to aid in revitalizing the downtown experience.
“Add vibrancy,” ACDC Ex- ecutive Director Miranda Johnson said. “We wanted to brighten the feeling of being downtown after dark. The lights we have now are a little boring.”
And so, the ACDC made plans.
“We purchased a large order of Christmas display lights for downtown. We mapped every lighting spot and chose what colors would go with each. We ordered especially a new design of the ornaments for the more than 100 lamp posts in the downtown. These would receive a new design of pine cone and Christmas tree which would sparkle brightly. The lamps themselves would receive new white lighting instead of the current soft golden glow.”
Johnson said a local Christmas decorating company was chosen to help figure out how to put everything together this first go around.
The company chosen and already at work is Santa Beacon’s owned by Brian Adcock of Queen City. They, along with city workers, have worked weekends and nights trying to get the decorations installed by this and next week. Sometimes Brian was still at his task at 3 a.m.
The cost of the project — as funded in the ACDC’s annual budget which is approved by the Atlanta City Council — will be in the $100,000 range, Executive Director Johnson said.
“The investment is for our downtown, for our local business and better economy,” she said.
Members of the ACDC is made up of seven citizens starting with Miranda Johnson, executive director, and including Larry Breashears, Randal Wilson, Emily Ransom, Scott Caver, Jon Head and Kevin Sherman.