Let There Be Lights!

Last week, Gossips reported that the austerity brought on by the revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic were going to affect how Hudson observed the winter holidays. Today, Gossips received the following press release from the Hudson Development Corporation, sharing the good news that the fairy lights will be installed in the trees--all the trees--along Warren Street as they have been every year for more than two decades.  

HDC LIGHTS UP WARREN STREET

It is no surprise that the City of Hudson has had to make many tough decisions about discretionary spending this year. At a recent Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA) meeting, it was decided that half of the usual twinkle lights could be purchased to install on every other tree on Warren Street for the holidays. The Hudson community began to grumble on social media about long bleak months of winter and the possibility of Hudson Hall's Winter Walk being canceled or scaled down. Even though the community understands the needs for these decisions, no one wants to have a bah-humbug holiday on top of the crazy year we've had. 

Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) is pleased to announce that they will purchase the remaining twinkle lights necessary for the City of Hudson this year. Board President, Robert Rasner credits a conversation with former Mayor Rick Rector for the idea, "We chatted about how unfortunate it was for our city not to have the lights in the trees for the holidays. This is something that HDC can do to help our community spirit and connectivity." He adds that the lights, although small--have a great impact to provide a sense of cheer and inviting ambiance for our community and businesses. “Half a holiday decoration is not good enough. Half a Christmas, half a Hanukkah, half a Kwanzaa will not do. Decorating Warren Street for the holidays is a long-standing tradition of businesses and the City alike,” said Rasner. “We are all living under pressures of the times. A fully decorated Warren Streets says we will not give in to all of the pressures.” 

Since the initial lock-down due to the pandemic, HDC has rallied with Hudson's business and cultural community through outreach and open task force meetings to provide information, idea generation, and support. Many meeting attendees have credited the task forces for bringing the community together in a new way in uncertain times. Branda Maholtz, Executive Director for HDC says, "Hudson is full of strong, resilient entrepreneurs, business owners, and artists. Our task force meetings demonstrated our community's capability to work together to not just talk about creating change for everyone's benefit, but to also plan, execute, and have a safe, successful summer and fall season during the pandemic." HDC continues to support local business as they look towards planning for the colder months. 

The City of Hudson's Department of Public Works intends to install lights around Thanksgiving.