Circle of Lights celebration is a beacon in the rain
Weather didn't dampen the spirits of those who turned out for 53rd annual event in Downtown Indy.
The rain beat down Friday night, but it didn't deter the families who turned out in droves to mark the 53rd annual Circle of Lights, a treasured Indianapolis tradition.
Though the celebration is often thought of as a multigenerational affair, there were a lot of first-timers in attendance.
Tiffanie Rowe came with her best friend, Kiye, and her children, Landon and Eriane, ages 9 and 3. It was the first time for all. "My son kept asking about it and seeing it on the news, so we decided to come out for the first time," she said. "We didn't let the rain stop us."
Rowe wasn't the only one swayed into coming by her child. Angie Waltz took her daughter Alayna, 10, for the first time. "She's been wanting to come for a long time," Waltz said. Alayna said she was excited to see the lights. "I always wondered how they get all the lights up there," she said.
Sabrina Hubbard, who recently moved to Indy from upstate New York, brought her three kids to see the show. "My maintenance man told me about it," she said. "I had to Google it to find out what it was."
Hubbard and Cravens had a sign posted, advertising $2 hot coffee and $4 hot chocolate. Employees were outside the shop, ready to serve customers. "It's been slow," said Kyle Kmetz, an employee. "It's hard to tell, with the rain."
The event's organizers, Contractors of Quality Connection and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 481, transformed the Soldiers and Sailors Monument into a symbol of holiday spirit using 52 garland strands and 4,784 colored lights. There are 26 toy soldiers and sailors and 26 candy canes encircling the base of the monument.
Vendors milled through the crowd, hawking hot chocolate. People danced and talked as entertainers from around Indiana performed onstage. The light switch was flipped by Lane Stark, 11, who won the Carson's Coloring Contest.
As soon as the lights popped on and the fireworks went off, the crowd cheered.
Follow Star reporter Gabby Ferreira on Twitter: @Its_GabbyF.