Christmas lights bill comes due

There’s a cost for everything, including brightening up Monongah with the 21 Christmas street lights.

Let Mayor Greg Vandetta, Class of 1975, explain:

“Special thanks to the Christmas lights committee for its hard work and dedication in lighting up Monongah at Christmas time.

Town paid the remaining balance of $1,576.71 for this year’s expenses.”

Greg is married to Debra Manzo Vandetta, Class of 1973,  Monongahfest president.

In 2016, a year she first began this passion of lighting up Monongah's streets for the holidays, Susan Staron Sanders, Class of 1971, spearheaded the drive that brought $2,392.75 into the Monongah Christmas lights campaign.

The Town of Monongah paid $278.97 for the electricity to turn on the lights for the 28 days of Christmas that year.

Town Council also kicked in $1,000 for startup costs.

That came to $3,392.75 in 2016 for the 8 Christmas street lights to go with the 7 that White Hall donated originally.

Susan and her Charge of the Lights Brigade keep adding lights, which means more electricity and more costs for installing the lights.

If this keeps up, Monongah will be known as The Town That Keep the Grinch From Stealing Christmas.