(Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

maps inside

Red Deer Christmas lights tour the longest ever

Dec 8, 2021 | 2:35 PM

Red Deer’s Christmas lights tour is back, bigger and better than ever, according to its long-time organizer.

Jim Elliott, formerly a City employee for 42 years, started the tour in 1975.

The 2021 edition has grown to six hours’ worth of routes, including an expanded number of homes in Vanier, Elliott notes. Those six hours are divided into seven smaller routes which take 34-47 minutes for completion.

It’s been a tough year or two, says Elliott, who hopes the lights will help bring people out of their pandemic-exacerbated doldrums.

“I’m an old guy, and have been around a long time. I’ve met a lot of people,” says Elliott, who turned 70 in October. “People these days are really, really struggling, and you see it every day, no matter where you go. COVID has people in a terrible state of mind.”

Seven stops

CPKC Holiday Train returns to Central Alberta on Dec. 11

2h ago

ANNUAL LIGHT THE HOUSE EVENT

Ronald McDonald House lights up with holiday cheer for 2024

18h ago

enviro container

Red Deer-area company fined $12,000 for Water Act violation

21h ago

Elliot says in continuing the tour, he and son A.J. feel it’s a positive thing that virtually anyone can enjoy.

The long-time Red Deerian used to rent buses and drive people around, giving the tour himself. Due to that becoming cost-prohibitive, folks will need to give themselves the tour in their own vehicle, which has been the case for about five or six years.

There’s hope, Elliott adds, he’ll be able to obtain a vehicle for giving tours – as in past years – to clients of the Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter.

If anyone is able, and enjoyed the tour so much, he encourages people to give to Aspire Special Needs Resource Centre (formerly Children’s Services Centre), which was part of his original inspiration in starting the lights tour.

Other locations of lights shared with rdnewsNOW include:

-Connaught Crescent (Clearview)