Businesses across the county showcase their holiday lights
GRANTS, N.M. - Every year, Grants MainStreet Project Inc. hosts the annual Light Parade that makes its way through the downtown area on Santa Fe Avenue. This year should have been the 24th year for the event.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 circumstances have forced the event to be canceled for the safety of the community. Grants Main-Street Project wanted to come up with a way to lift the community’s spirits and bring smiles to faces, so they decided to host a virtual competition - Light Up Cibola!
The competition involves businesses across Cibola County and includes adorning their buildings with holiday light decorations. The initiative officially began on Saturday, Dec. 5. but interested businesses can still participate.
All they must do to enter is decorate their establishment with lights, and then send pictures to grantsmainstreet@gmail.com.
The competition event involves monetary prizes which include $1,000 for the first-place winner, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place. Judging will continue until Dec. 18, so participants must submit their photos before that date.
KMIN Radio, New Mexico Credit Corporation, Jenny’s, and Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation are just a few of the businesses who have already submitted their photo entries.
“Despite the pandemic we’re trying our best to keep holiday spirit and bring a smile to the community,” emphasized Grants Main-Street affiliate Diego Lopez. He also mentioned Grants Mainstreet Inc. is very thankful for their partners and sponsors who assisted GMS with launching the initiative; these include the Homestake Mining Company, Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation, Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce, City of Grants, Village of Milan, and Cibola County.
“These partners and sponsors are helping us to spread joy and happiness in the last days of this year which has been so challenging,” said Grants MainStreet affiliates Lopez. Roger and Evelyn Siegmann, who are both long-time community members, have also been incredibly involved in making this happen, as well as many other events in the past.
An additional project that GMS has been working on is an event that started last year, in which some of the third and fourth graders from the local elementary schools join GMS in painting the windows of local businesses during the holidays. Half of the money accumulated from that event was donated to the Grants-Milan Rotary Club, specifically directed toward the Backpack Program. This program works to eliminate food insecurity by feeding students in the community. The current project, because of pandemic restrictions, has participating students drawing and coloring pictures, sending them to Grants MainStreet, and volunteers taping the pictures to the windows of the local businesses. The money earned will be directed to the same program for the same cause.
Grants Mainstreet Project Inc. and businesses across the community are certainly doing all they can do to uplift spirits despite trying times, according to numerous area residents.
Contact grantsmainstreet@gmail.com for more information.