Christmas Lights Cause Problems

March, 24 2007

Pucky Huddle, Missouri

Community Holiday Lights Cause Problems

Area residents have become concerned about the city's holiday decorations, not that the display violates the fundamentals of church and state, rather that it is now May and the display has not been taken down yet.

Fred Buckner, Mayor of this small hamlet gave a simple reason for maintaining the display far past the holidays. "So many area residents still have their lights up, we felt that to save money we put the lights up and leave them there." Mayor Buckner is correct. A short drive away is the largest mobile home park in town and several of the prefab homes have large multi colored lights up and several faded Santas can be seen in the yards.

The Mayor continued to say that the cost of taking down the lights would cost about $17.74 in labor costs and storing the lights in a reused paper box takes up valuable space in the stately town hall building.

However, the display could have a greater detrimental affect other than aesthetic. According to resident and avid bird watcher Floyd Bailey sees the situation another way. "This town is smack dab in the middle of the migration route for the Greater Northwestern Speckler and having these lights up during the migration season could cause the birds to fly off course ." Mr. Bailey has complained to the Mayor and City Council, but with no action from Town Hall Floyd has taken his complaints to the State EPA. "If they [EPA] don't do anything I'll go all the way to the White House!"

It may take some time to resolve this impasse and there are only 2 weeks until the migration season begins for the Speckler.