By Alicia Couch Payne
There’s no denying that Buford is a beautiful town year round but at the holidays, Buford is absolutely stunning. The city comes alive at dark when all of the Christmas lights turn on. Tree after tree, lamp post after lamp post…..all lit up that brings festive cheer to the community.
The lights around town do not come to life and install themselves no matter how much the city workers might wish it. Ever wonder who installs them? How long does it take them? Just how many lights have been installed this holiday season?
Approximately 303,000 Christmas lights give off the most beautiful glow all up and down Main Street, South Hill Street, and Sawnee Avenue. Those lights along with nine lighted scenes, garland, and bows were installed by 17 total employees, who worked since close to Halloween on installing the Christmas decorations. That’s over 1,000 man hours just to install them and then they have another 300 hours just to keep them working properly.. Majority of the employees it took to install these decorations came from the city’s Electric Department. Employees from other departments assisted on garland and bow installation days.
City Workers installed 337 strands of garland and bows. 198 trees on Main Street, Sawnee Avenue, and South Hill Street have been lit up for Christmas. Four massive Christmas trees were also installed. Buford City Hall, Buford City Arena, and the Buford City Schools Central Office each have a 30 ft tall Christmas Tree. The tree at the Buford Community Center is a neck-breaking 60 ft tall..
So as you ride around town and see the beautiful holiday lights and decorations, make sure to say “Thank you” in honor of the seventeen employees that worked tirelessly to install them.
The city workers who had the job of installing the holiday decorations are the unsung heroes of the holidays in Buford. Buford would not be Buford during the holidays without them.
