It seems the City of Bridgeport is going to do a little bit to help make the 11^th Annual “Light Up Night” scheduled for Dec. 3 a little more enjoyable experience. On Monday, Bridgeport City Council gave a thumbs up to provide the necessary funds to provide an 8x14 foot video screen to show live activities.

 

For those that have no idea why, Parks and Recreation Director Don Burton explained the matter to Council. And he had plenty on the governing body who knew exactly what he was talking about.

 

“When you have crowds that show up, particularly if the weather is accommodating, you may have a few thousand people all trying to cram up by the Benedum Civic Center stage area,” said Burton. “If you have a child singing or involved when the tree is about to be lit up the area just gets slammed. A separate place to watch what’s taking place live should help alleviate that and spread the crowd out to make it more enjoyable for everyone.”

 

The video screen, along with speaker that will run down Main Street from the Civic Center area, will be rented for the day. Burton said the exact location of the screen isn’t certain, but preliminarily he sees it on the opposite side of the bridge by the Bridgeport Fire Department and close to Center Street.

 

“The rental company will set everything up and take everything down,” said Burton. “We hope to make it annual thing and, barring some really horrible weather, should be able to gauge how successful it can and will be this year to make a decision moving forward.”

 

The cost of the rental is in the $4,000 range, Burton said. The Bridgeport Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is contributing nearly $1,000 to the cost, while the Parks and Recreation budget will kick in $1,000. The rest of the money, approved by Council, will come from a public relations line item in the budget.

 

Light Up Night is one of the most popular annual events in Bridgeport and is hosted by the Associated Businesses of Bridgeport, which is the same group the purchased the tree that will be in front of the Civic Center. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. on Main Street with the tree lighting at 7 p.m. and the conclusion of the event at roughly 8 p.m. that is signaled by a fireworks display. Main Street from Virginia Avenue to the Second Street intersections, will be shut down during that time period.

 

Editor's Note: The above photos from past Light Up Nights show the huge crowds, particularly in the bottom photo, that gather near the Civic Center area. Photos by www.benqueenphotography.com.