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LET THERE BE LIGHTS

By I. R. Hunthausen
Photo by Ross Mason

‘Tis the season to be, well, decorating. Behind all the fantastic holiday light displays put on each year around the Valley by businesses, churches and even the zoo, many hours are spent planning, climbing, stringing and maintaining the public spectacles.

The APS Fantasy of Lights in downtown Tempe, one of the more elaborate displays each year, opens with a celebration including a parade, fireworks, street performers, a tree-lighting ceremony and the arrival of St. Nick himself.

Backstage and out of the limelight, so to speak, several community directors and contractors are hard at work constructing the magnificent event. Chief among them is Tempe Traffic Operations Superintendent Isaac Chavira, who is responsible for bringing the fantasy to life and then keeping the lights on.

The Fantasy of Lights includes 140 outlets along Mill Avenue between Tempe’s 7th Street and Rio Salado Parkway. Such grand displays are never without many hours of hard work, and as Chavira can tell you, it truly is a labor of love.

“We are the laborers,” Chavira says. “We make sure they have power to do whatever they want to do.”

Best Part: “For me the best part is the end product, just being able to see the kids and the families enjoy the evening.” Last year Chavira timed the lights so they would turn on as the parade made its way down Mill Avenue, giving a wave of lights effect. “If you can imagine a dark Mill Avenue and then all of a sudden as the parade is progressing we are flicking lights on as the parade is going. The oohs and ahhs from the families were the best part.”

Worst Part: “The budget. We want to do more every year of course, but a lot of times the funding isn’t there so we have to scale back or reduce what we’ve done.”

Upkeep: Unfortunately vandalism is something Chavira and his team must deal with every year. “Our lights are sometimes unplugged or cut, so we are constantly having to go down there and make sure the lights are plugged in or that the contractor is down fixing whatever he needs to fix on a daily basis. It’s frustrating.”

Off Season: When Chavira isn’t bringing the power to the parade he is responsible for managing street signing, lighting, signals and striping. His team also powers events throughout the year including ASU football games, the breast cancer and heart walks, Pat’s Run and the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon.