News : Courthouse to display Christmas Lights once again, this year...or next

An old photo from December 23, 1980 Cedar Valley Times via the library online archives

For some of us that have lived in Vinton for decades, we remember that each Christmas when you returned home from out of town you could see the courthouse. It wasn't because of its size or location, but because there would be lights on the courthouse. The lights would stream down from the clock tower over each corner of the courthouse.

Melody Snow of Vinton Unlimited, approached the County Supervisors a few weeks ago to see if they would be willing to do this again. The Supervisors discussed installing anchors for the lights and all of the details for installing the lights each year and the cost. They did agree that there should be lights again.

At Tuesday's meeting, the Supervisors approved the final cost to order the lights, but as Rick Primmer mentioned, it is uncertain if the lights will even arrive in time for the Christmas season. But if not this year, then by next.

Bill Hagland said of the courthouse lights, "Christmas without lights would be like dances without music, fairs without a midway." Vinton at Christmas without the courthouse lights, well, it was a little less Christmassy for some of us.

The lights used to display red, white, and blue, just plain white and multicolored after that. The new lights will be LED lights.

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Just another funny tidbit. The article showing the courthouse lights was right above a headline that read, "Cable TV possible by Christmas for 'test homes'." We've come a long way, baby.