Lights to the right of them

Lights to the left of them

Lights in front of them

Honor the charges they made

Honor the Monongah Lights Brigade

-  - With apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Susan Staron Sanders, Class of 1971, an administrative assistant at Personnel, hasn’t quite surpassed the 1.2 million lights on 75 miles of cable in Petrie Plaza Mall in Canberra, Australia, which broke the Guinness World Record for the largest LED image display.

But it’s not for lack of effort.

The Christmas angel of Thomas Street and her Lights Brigade also haven’t come close to the 518,838 individual lights on Australian David Richard’s tree in Canberra. What is it with Canberra and going crazy overloading the power grid with Christmas lights?

But it’s not for lack of effort.

Even the 374,280 Christmas lights that overwhelmed a University Studios Japan tree might be in trouble if Susan and her Monongah Lights Brigade have their way. Well, not really.

I’ve been to the Winter Festival of Lights in Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia that covers more than 300 acres and requires a six-mile drive to see them all (in my case, also $3,200 damage to my 2012 Honda Accord when a deer T-boned the driver’s side of my car as Paula and I were drifting 15 mph or so looking at the amazing display).

But Susan’s Lights Brigade is trying to raise $3,500 to add five Christmas street lights in Monongah to the seven that White Hall donated for the 2015 light-up of the place of my birth. That’s an awesome project.

After this article was published originally, Susan Staron Sanders giddily reported:

"Wonderful news after our meeting last night we will be able to purchase 4 new lights and thanks to a few wonderful people in our town, who are purchasing their own we will have a total of 8 which we wanted to begin with. "I am so proud of my committee for their hard work to raise this money so quickly and so thankful for all those who donated. "Please remember we have enough to pay half down on our lights and must be paid in full in 30 days so we must keep working and receiving donations. "We are planning a wonderful Halloween party for the kids on Oct 30th. And Christmas Light Bazaar on Nov 5th. We are selling the Angel and Elves T-shirts and hoodies with a chance to win a $100 gift card from Walmart for the best family photo in the shirts. More on that soon.   “At the road toll we raised $719. In 4 hours. Awesome.” As in Awesome Angel, which describes Susan perfectly. "God Bless You All and God Bless our Wonderful Town. "Susan"   God bless that day that Susan came to Monongah. And God bless us everyone.

Mareca Savonarola, one of Susan’s Lights Brigade, reports that the 11 a.m.-5 p.m. November 5 Christmas Lights Bazaar at the Monongah Town Hall is “completely booked” at $10 a table per vendor. There also will be food and raffles. Anything to get more lights for Monongah.

And Mareca isn’t even a Monongah High grad, but got her diploma in the Land of the Honey Bees, Fairmont East High, but got caught up in Susan’s enthusiasm after Mareca moved to Monongah.

Teena Field Ailstock, 1984 North Marion grad, and Valerie Vandetta Aldridge, Class of 1973, also are part of Susan’s Lights Brigade.

By the way, that’s a pretty sneaky way to celebrate – ahem! -- my 84^th birthday November 5, by raising money for Monongah’s street lights.

Susan and her corps of fundraisers also are selling T-Shirts, Angels & Elves to help light up Monongah for the holidays.

Sue Ahouse Schrader, Class of 1971, of Stoney Lonesome and Piscataway, New Jersey, and Rhonda and Steve Wilson, Class of 1975, of Morgantown, made generous donations.

Even before the Christmas Lights Bazaar on my birthday, another lights fundraiser will be a 3 p.m. Sunday, October 30 Halloween party. It will cost $5 but will include games, pumpkin painting, costume contest and refreshments. In the immortal words of Lucy to Charlie Brown, “Good grief!”

If you want to simply donate to light up Monongah for the holidays, make your check out to:

Monongah Christmas Light Fund

Mail your check to:

Susan Sanders
Monongah Christmas Lights Fund
Post Office Box 9051

Monongah, WV 26554.

You can go to the Friends of Monongah Christmas Lights Fund Association’s Facebook page for additional information.

Susan’s husband, Ron Sanders, is lucky but not surprised guy at the Lights Brigade his wife has rounded up.

Mayor Greg Vandetta is happy to see his town lit up so brightly for the holidays that astronauts in space probably can spot it. But he also is faced with a problem involving money. It will cost the town of Monongah about $1,500 to erect, maintain and provide electricity for the Christmas street lights every year.

Sounds like another fundraising project for Susan’s Lights Brigade.