It seems pretty clear that people like holiday lights. Look at the number of people this week at Rockefeller Center versus at the South Street Seaport, both significant visitor destinations with tree lights.
I frequently get comments from visitors to Park City that they love the holiday lights, that it makes it feel festive, bright and cheerful. Yet our city council puts restrictions on private citizens lighting trees. The frequently stated reason is to promote dark skies, so someone visiting from Los Angeles or another big city can see more stars.
Has anyone ever tested this theory, done a poll of visitors to see if they want dark skis at the expense of holiday lights? Since visitors pay for much of our great life here (our recreation including the ski hills and the Marc, our free bus system, our schools), maybe we should look at what they want when they come to visit.
After all, if anyone wants to see dark skies they can drive a few miles out of town in any direction and see them. And since we are 30 miles to a major city, we will never be a true dark skies location anyhow. It turns out the town of Rochester, Minnesota, took the opposite approach and people liked it. Maybe there is something to learn from other’s experience: The Small Town That Turned Christmas Lights Into an Economic Miracle – WSJ
Steve Peer
Park City