New year, more lights

As citizens drive around Marshfield, they may notice it's a bit brighter than previous years. That is because more Snowflake lights than ever were set up the last month. In total, 74 snowflake lights were hung around the inner city.

The additional lights result from another year of collaboration with Webster Electric, the City of Marshfield, and the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Many of the lights from years past were beyond repair, so the three parties worked together to make something happen. Last year, the Chamber applied and received a Webster Electric Round-Up Grant for $10,000 to purchase 40 snowflakes.

This year, the Chamber applied for another Round-Up grant and received another $10,000. The city matched the grant, and all the funds were used to purchase 34 more lights. The hope was to have the new lights up before the Dec. 2 parade.

"When we ordered the lights in mid-November, we were initially told it would take three to four weeks for them to be delivered," said Rob Jones, Vice President of the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce. "We were a bit worried but then were told they were on the way."

Shortly after the new lights arrived, City and Webster Electric workers were seen setting up the lights.

"We hope that everyone in town likes the new Christmas lights as much as we do," said Sam Rost, Marshfield City Administrator. "This has been a fantastic partnership between multiple entities. Webster Electric, the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Marshfield all worked together to get the lights purchased and installed for the Christmas season. It has been a great project that hopefully helps set the tone for the season. Since retiring the old Christmas lights, the total number of lights has doubled. I think that is what you call success."

With no more space, time, and resources available, this marks the end of the partnership. However, neither the Chamber nor the city have ruled out future collaborations.

"This will be the last year we purchase new lights," said Jones. "But we may do something else with the City and Webster Electric in the future."

"We look forward to working on other projects with current and future partners," said Rost.