As if on command, raindrops began to fall seemingly within minutes after the last of nearly one thousand luminary candles had been lit and strategically placed at the curb in St. Joseph’s central business district Friday night. Nevertheless, the weather failed to dampen the spirits of those who ventured downtown for what has become a traditional favorite of hometown fans — the 23rd Annual St. Joseph Today Luminary Festival.
Fortunately for those who challenged the weather, the early rains were fairly light and more a nuisance than a washout, at least until a bit later in the evening when thunder and lightning took over and advanced the rainfall into a considerably steadier drumbeat on windshields, umbrellas, and popped up hoods and baseball caps.
St. Joseph Today Executive Director Amy Zapal characterized Friday night’s festival atmosphere as “bustling and lively, even with weather threatening.” She tells me, “Many downtown stores had a lot of traffic, and once the thunder and lightning started, many shoppers took the opportunity to enjoy the offerings of the wonderful restaurants.”
Despite the early showers and later downpours, the timing allowed for Zapal and her team at St. Joe Today to consider the event a success. Zapal says, “The merchants that I heard from said sales and traffic were both good.”
Many of the stores that I saw, while photographing the festival’s luminary bags populating the sidewalk’s edge, had many people strolling in search of the unique type of gifts that an independent array of locally owned and operated retailers typically bring to the marketplace.
The St. Joe Today Welcome Center downtown was also helping shoppers out by offering free gift wrapping there during the festival, something they plan to do again on Small Business Saturday, following next week’s Thanksgiving celebrations.
Many of the retail storefronts downtown are already decorated for the Christmas season, and the city’s public works team has already placed garlands, wreaths, ribbons and lights on the business district light poles and a Christmas tree at State & Pleasant Streets near the city’s stainless steel sculpture, Nimbus Flight.
Public works crews have also taken advantage of relatively mild weather in recent days to begin placing pieces of the annual Light Up the Bluff display in Lake Bluff Park, however those lights will not be turned on until formal ceremonies take place next month.
Meanwhile, City Center in Benton Harbor joined the festivities as did the Benton Harbor Arts District last night for the city’s 4th Annual Christmas Lights Celebration which included many luminary candles to go along with the lighting of the city’s main street light poles and the trees at Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park downtown.
