Vandals don't dim city's light display
Somebody tried to play Scrooge with North Little Rock's new $24,300 synchronized LED display that's shaped like a Christmas tree.
The 21-foot-tall, treelike display was vandalized Tuesday evening, city spokesman Nathan Hamilton said, when an attempt was made to pull off one of the bulbs, breaking a line of wire that holds the lights. The display was repaired Thursday using a city Fire Department ladder truck, which also allowed for ladder training for firefighters, Hamilton said.
The tree, outside the City Services Building at 120 Main St., will be dedicated after the North Little Rock Sertoma Club Christmas Parade today. The parade starts at 2 p.m. on Pershing Boulevard and travels along Main Street into the city's downtown.
"We have backup lights and breaker boxes," Hamilton said Thursday.
The tree is fenced off and there is video surveillance, Hamilton said.
The display comes from Arkansas Holiday Lighting of North Little Rock. The cost includes the tree, setup, three spare strands of lights, labor and maintenance for the first year. The tree stands on a 4-foot box and has a 2-foot-high star at the top for a total ground-to-tip height of 27 feet.
One of the three spare strands was used to repair the tree. Additional strands would cost $575 if vandalism is the cause for breakage, Hamilton said.
Mayor Joe Smith included $25,000 in the city's Sales Tax Capital Improvement in this year's city budget to replace the artificial tree that had been used for several years. Such projects are funded by revenue from the 1 percent city sales tax.
Center for history hosts show, crafts
A "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" exhibit will be on display today during an open house at the North Little Rock History Commission, 506 Main St., in conjunction with the city's Christmas parade.
The exhibit, featuring toys, holiday decorations and other memorabilia from the 1950s-60s, plus holiday crafts and activities for children, will be open 1-4 p.m. today. It will continue through Christmas.
Visitors can park in the lot next to the building.
Metro on 12/07/2014