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Lewes Lights: Making Spirits Bright registration due Nov. 27

November 24, 2020

Lewes Lights: Making Spirits Bright is seeking City of Lewes homes and businesses to sign up by 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 27, to be included on the map for its holiday driving tour.

To spread holiday joy and close out 2020 with positivity, light and merriment, locals Debra Evalds and Christian Mullins have created a new Lewes Christmas tradition that will lift spirits and bring a boost of December business to merchants in the community.

A part-time Lewes resident who works in the Washington, D.C. hospitality industry, Mullins devised the concept. “I was certain a new tradition for Lewes could warm what was otherwise a difficult year. Lewes Lights is a great way to illuminate the charm of the City of Lewes,” he said.

He enlisted Lewes resident Debra Evalds to co-chair the month-long event. Evalds  is also an organizer of Go Fourth Lewes Fireworks and has helped with other local events and initiatives.

“My husband Paul and I adore Christmas and volunteer as Santa and Mrs. Claus locally. We are also small business owners and understand the economic hardships faced by businesses this year. I saw this as a great way to spread jolliness and be merry while bringing people into the City of Lewes to support our struggling merchants and restaurants,” said Evalds.

Whether a home has simple decorations like candles and wreaths or an over-the-top light display like Clark Griswold’s in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” all are encouraged to participate.

Lewes homeowners and businesses are asked to light, decorate and register their properties on the website below. Evalds and Mullins said they hope to see many points of light in Lewes for this goodwill, grassroots event.

Registrants will light up their homes or properties with outside decorations to make the city shine from dusk to 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4, to Thursday, Dec. 31. Addresses will be shown on an interactive map of Lewes, so spectators can drive by, enjoy the lights and celebrate the holiday season in a COVID-19-safe way. For privacy, homeowners’ names will not be listed.

More registered homes will show as more points on the map and let viewers know that Lewes knows how to spread joy and glow, despite the darkness of 2020. It will encourage more neighbors to participate.

City of Lewes homeowners can opt in to compete for awards in five festive categories, plus a Fun & Frosty kids’ choice award and an award for jolliest street. The award competition is only for the City of Lewes, but  all registered homes in the 19958 ZIP code will be listed for viewing on the online map. The more the merrier! Because Lewes Lights is an all-volunteer-led effort, coordinating, monitoring, buying signs and judging beyond the City of Lewes isn’t physically or financially feasible in this initial year.

To be considered for sharing on social media, submit photos of especially festive homes and information by emailing LewesLights@gmail.com.

Address registration is open for all 19958 homeowners and business owners.

The last day to register an address on leweslights.org is Friday, Nov. 27.

During the registration process, participants can choose to opt out of competing and just be on the tour map. Every pinpoint on the tour map represents a point of light to help make spirits bright. 

The Lewes Lights map will go live Friday, Dec. 4, at leweslights.org.

The Lewes Lights opening ceremony will be at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 4, online and in person on Sussex Drive in Highland Acres where Santa will flip the switch to turn on the lights and kick off the driving tour of mapped homes in the City of Lewes. Award winners will be announced Friday, Dec. 25. Merry Christmas!

Despite many holiday cancellations, there will be safe celebrating in Lewes.

For more information and to register, go to leweslights.org.

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