Light Up Alamogordo

For decades Alamogordo has been lighting up areas of White Sands Blvd. and 10th Street with holiday cheer!

The most recent decorations were purchased about 25 years ago! It all started with a committee through the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce that raised funds from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations because they saw the need to replace the aging decorations. “The community rallied and we had fundraisers, it was a lot of fun helping to beautify our community at Christmas,” said Flori McElderry, committee member in the mid-1990’s. Toots Green, an original 1990’s committee member said, “We just decided that the decorations needed an uplift, and with the extra money raised we thought that the addition of "Merry Christmas" banners would be great! We had the banners designed in three different languages, English, Spanish & German to represent our multicultural community. We worked hard because we thought that it was important, so glad to hear they are being updated again, I am so happy!"

It has been the passion and mission of the City of Alamogordo Facilities Maintenance Manager, Paul Bennett to update/replace the aging decorations for quite some time. "It has become a passion of mine every November to ensure the decorations came on Thanksgiving night to mark the start of the Christmas season for our citizens. The current decorations and banners were acquired in 1995-96, with an expected lifespan of 10 years for the lighted decorations and 5 years for the banners. Through the Chamber of Commerce, the City was able to buy the original decorations and banners with money raised from donations by the citizens and businesses of Alamogordo. We have managed to keep the decorations and banners looking good well past their lifespan. However, during the last five years, they have been showing signs of wear and deterioration from 25 years of use," said Paul Bennett.

"In March of 1998, I transferred to the Facility Maintenance department where, under the direction of John DeRoy, I took over the care and maintenance of the Christmas decorations. I helped put them up for the first time in 1998 and have been a part of putting them up and taking them down for the last 23 years."

- Paul Bennett, Facilities Maintenance Manager, City of Alamogordo

Replacing all the lighted pole decorations with brand new would cost over $80,000 (each lit decoration can cost $300 to $700 each). Deciding to revamp the original decorations and give them a new look in the process, will bring the cost down to between $20,000 to $25,000. For the 2020 holiday season, the changes will be visible only along White Sands Blvd. and the two stringers that cross Tenth Street at both New York Avenue and College Avenue. The Facilities Maintenance Crew as well as City Employees from other departments, including the Alameda Park Zoo, have worked diligently to strip down the old decorations to the metal frame, paint them, and restring & rewire them with all new LED lights (brighter & energy saving). Check out the photos below to see images of the old decorations and the refurbished ones! With the help of the community, we hope to be able to refurbish all of the decorations for the 2021 holiday season as well as replace all the banners, both along White Sands Blvd and 10th Street ($15,000).

Would you like to be apart of beautifying & bringing holiday cheer to our community?

We need you help! We are hoping the rally our community members, organizations and businesses again to help modernize the holiday decorations that light up our streets each year. Join our effort to “Light Up Alamogordo!" You can make a donation big or small by clicking the link below or clicking this link to the donation form.

You'll be able see examples of the old and the new, beginning Thanksgiving night when the lights are turned on all along White Sands Blvd from 10th Street to Indian Wells Rd. (newly refurbished decorations) and 10th Street from White Sands Blvd. to Collage Ave. (old decorations on light poles and newly refurbished stringers across 10th Street at New York Ave and College Ave.)