When Wayne Russell threw the switch that set aglow thousands of string lights across the UVA Lawn for the annual Lighting of the Lawn on November 30, his holiday decorating was officially over for the year. “This is my Christmas decorations,” he said, pointing to the lights. “Besides the tree, I’m not doing any more at home.”
 Poetry, a cappella, Christmas lights: Who could ask for more? Those at the sixth annual Lighting of the Lawn on November 30 were treated to that trifecta of wholesome delights. |
And who could blame him? For the sixth year in a row, Russell and four other UVA electricians spent about five days and close to 40 hours hanging up the lights display. And if you think untangling your holiday lights is a headache, consider this: Because the setup team reuses leftover lights each year, that means untangling a good chunk of the close to 100 strings used, from the Rotunda to Old Cabell Hall. “It’s tiresome, it really is,” Russell said. “But it’s really pretty, and we’re happy to do it for the students.”
And judging by last Thursday night’s crowd, it was well worth the effort. After the vocal stylings of several UVA a cappella groups and a humorous class poem read by music Professor John D’earth, the lights were ablaze.
Though this year was a perfectly timed lighting, it hasn’t always been so. The event began in 2001, as a way for the community and University to come together in the aftermath of 9/11, but the first year was a trial-and-error lesson for the electricians that delayed the timing of the lighting. Problems about how to display the lights were alleviated when, after first using an electronic lift, they realized a primitive set of strings and pulleys were more effective. By last week, work was complete save for testing the lights and putting up a few strings that had been torn down by either unseasonably strong winds or the late-night antics of some boozy Grinches.
The cost this year was $11,400, paid for by the UVA class councils, Parents Committee, and Office of the Vice President and Chief Student Affairs. Still, all those lights don’t mean too much extra on the electric bill for the University, according to Russell: The electrical cost of the vibrant display that stays up until January is roughly the same as running two coffee machines.
