Light Up Night 2025 was, as has been the case every year, a huge success in kicking off the Christmas season. Due to what happened Dec. 19, Light Up Night 2026 was not guaranteed to happen.

 

It was early the morning on Dec. 19 when a storm system rolled through Bridgeport in the early morning hours. In fact, Interim City Manager Joe Shuttleworth got the call at 6 a.m. to let him know what had happened.

 

The storm hit around 3 a.m. With it came winds sustained at nearly 60 miles per hour and peaked at well over 70 miles per hour.

 

And for those who are not only festive during the holiday season but thrive on the city’s Christmas tree and downtown decorations, the call was not what any of those folks – let alone Shuttleworth – wanted.

The storm did more than just wake people up. It knocked things over and destroyed a lot of items on the Main Street corridor. The bulk of it involved the beloved downtown decorations.

 

The Bridgeport Christmas Tree, used for decades, would ultimately be left with too much damage to be saved. The ornaments adorning it were heavily damaged and many destroyed as the wind snapped the steel cables that anchored the tree into the Benedum Civic Center ground.

 

And that was not all of it.

 

Many of Bridgeport’s decorative utility poles covered with holiday lights and topped – as they are year round – with decorative globes were also left damaged or destroyed. By storm’s end, 30 utility poles were wiped out. The highly popular lit up “Christmas Card” used by families to pose in front of the tree was also decimated.

 

Due to the cost of replacement and not knowing if insurance would cover all or any of it, a new Christmas tree, new decorations, and more were not guaranteed. That meant the beloved Light Up Night was potentially in jeopardy.

 

Eventually, Bridgeport filed an insurance claim with damages nearing $100,000. The actual amount filed as a claim came in at $92,000.

 

Eventually, funding was provided for the city via the insurance claim and the rest of the dollars needed to return things to pre-storm levels came through the Bridgeport Parks and Recreation budget. And with that and knowing the importance of what Light Up Night and the decorations that make it possible, purchases have now been made for replacements.

 

“We are moving ahead and we had a committee meet on Thursday (August 20),” said Shuttleworth. “We wanted to initially do a lot of the same things, but that didn’t prove possible.”

 

For starters, the old Christmas decorations that were custom made would have been hard to match regardless. Considering the company that did them is no longer in business made it impossible.

However, decorations have been ordered. According to Parks and Recreation Coordinator Amy Callahan, about 600 ornaments have been requisitioned.

 

“It’s going to be a different look,” said Shuttleworth. “But it’s going to be a good look that will complement the new tree. Those going through the city and those taking in Light Up Night will still have the same quality experience.”

 

The tree, said Callahan, has also already been ordered. It will be the same height at 22 feet, but there will be one modification that will be revealed later.

 

“People will be pleasantly surprised with the addition,” Callahan said.

 

Along with the tree and the 600 ornaments, a new “photo op” frame has been ordered. Callahan said it was hard to pass on one of the most popular features of the attractions set up.

 

“It’s still going to be lit up and will have City of Bridgeport on it. It’s going to have a Polaroid photo type of look,” said Callahan. “That was important because you see it being used throughout Light Up Night and people stop there all the time and get photos. A lot of people use that photo for their holiday cards.”

 

Another big piece of the new Christmas decoration puzzle involves the utility poles. City staff has replaced the damage poles, but the decorations were not able to be repaired. Callahan said replacement decorations for every utility pole have also been ordered.

 

The new decorations for the lights will not be attached to, or rest on, the globes. That led to problems with globes being damaged that may not have occurred had the previous ones not been attached to the pole and part of the globe.

 

“We’re also replacing the decorations by the (Meadowbrook) Mall. That is being primarily done to prevent damage to the poles because those rest on top of the globe on those utility poles,” said Callahan. “This will eliminate that issue.”

 

Another area will also see fresh decorations. Callahan said the four new custom light poles at the Bridgeport Public Library will also have decorations added to them.

 

“We feel good about what we’re going to have,” said Callahan. “We worked together to try and make sure we match and, hopefully, improve the holiday experience.”

 

The committee that met to iron out the decorations included Shuttleworth, Callahan, Andrea Kerr, Jaclyn Rominger, Cathy Hamilton, Judy Bonamico, and Bill Lafferty. As always, the Associated Businesses of Bridgeport, who sponsor the event, had a heavy presence in the process.

 

So, get ready Bridgeport and beyond. Light Up Night and one of the coolest looking drive-through experiences in a West Virginia downtown is back.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows the Christmas tree laying flat in front of the Benedum Civic Center on Dec. 19, while the middle image is of the August 20 meeting looking at the replacement items for all that was damaged. Bottom photo shows city staff replacing a globe on one of the damage poles in January.