I found a memo to myself, dated December 2014. It merely states, “Remember Christmas in July.”
Aha! I now recall a wish to contact any Lewiston city official with this question — why does the city still decorate upper Lisbon Street with Christmas lights? Isn’t it a remnant of days long gone, perhaps since the 1950s-1960s, when the in-town section was a busy mercantile sector? Now it has a District Court and many legal firms, due to the court’s proximity. Farther down the street, many new immigrants have established specialty shops for clients of their culture.
My idea is that the lights should be moved to a more common location, such as Lewiston’s Kennedy Park, similar to how the Boston Commons are adorned in the Christmas season. The soon-to-be-built gazebo could be a centerpiece, along with a holiday tree. Even Lincoln Street has more vehicular traffic nowadays than does Lisbon Street. That area could also use more holiday festive attention.
An alert to Lewiston officials: Now is the time to consider such changes.
Bertrand Berube, Lewiston
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