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Date: 4/4/2022
PALMER - In 2019, a group of volunteers came together and started decorating downtown Palmer for the holidays. Light Up Palmer (LUP) is an all-volunteer, self-funded organization under the Palmer Business Partnership. Today, they’re looking for more volunteers to help their organization see its mission through.
LUP is a non-profit entity having the ability to accept charitable donations. Their mission is to improve Palmer’s business district by promoting and enhancing the visual quality and appearance of the downtown areas. Since 2019, they’ve continued to decorate both the street and vacant buildings as well as putting together downtown events.
The group sponsors the holiday decorating contest that takes place throughout Palmer, which LUP Chair Chris Smith said brought a lot of community spirit during bleak COVID-19 times. The decorating contest gives residents an opportunity to drive through town to see the lights and vote on the houses they liked the most.
In addition, Light Up Palmer added what they call their “Purple Heart campaign.” Local veterans who received the Purple Heart – which is awarded to men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who were wounded or killed in combat – received a banner display along Main Street in the Depot Village section of Palmer. Last year, LUP honored 54 Purple Heart veteran residents in a dedication in August.
Now in 2022, Light Up Palmer needs new members. Smith said, “The average age of our working group is 70 years old, so we need younger people who can help us continue this into the future. We need young people who have the ability and interest to make Palmer a better place to live.”
“Everything we do is free for the community through donations that we receive from individuals and primary business sponsorships,” she continued. “If people want to see that continue and have that community spirit during the holidays and Memorial Day, people need to become involved with our organization and volunteer their time to come and help us - to attend meetings to understand what we’re about and how this happened.”
To learn more about LUP, Palmer residents can attend one of their meetings. There are no membership fees. Anyone who has a graphics background, electrical knowledge or someone that is simply willing to carry a decoration downtown is welcome to join the group.
This year, Light Up Palmer’s Purple Heart banner display will be installed along Main Street in Depot Village on May 14. They’ve already received names of individuals who been nominated to receive banners in their honor that will run from Memorial Day through Veteran’s Day.
The downtown holiday event is currently being planned for Nov. 26. Artist Noah Lis will provide entertainment and Light Up Palmer will be planning additional fun activities and entertainment for the community.
“We will continue to do our Light Up decorating downtown and also sponsor the downtown events,” Smith said. “We’re just a group of volunteers that are willing to work and do something good for the community. I think that’s something every individual should have within themselves is to be able to have some degree of community service give back if you want your community to thrive.”
Anyone interested in joining Light Up Palmer can email the group at lightuppalmer@yahoo.com or send a message to their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/LightUpPalmer/, where they post upcoming meetings.