News
December 7, 2020Ballston Spa Holiday Community Arts Program
The holidays are a traditional time when we come together, as a family and as a community to celebrate what we are thankful for. And Ballston Spa has a lot to be thankful for: a thriving community, good people who reach out to help their neighbors and a beautiful village and setting. COVID may have canceled some of our traditional celebrations, but that hasn’t stopped us from finding new ways of showing our community support and pride.
“The turn out for this years Holiday Community Arts Program has been overwhelming!” says Mark Blech, program director, “People have done such a great job this year, the artwork is outstanding. We’ve had such a great response, from 2 years old on up, families, disabled adults, schools, everyone has come together to help decorate the village for the holidays”.
The theme, “5278 Points of Light”, refers to the population of Ballston Spa. In addition to new street banners painted by local residents and a very popular “Ornament Decorating Contest”, the winners being selected by Mayor Larry Woolbright, that will adorn the Village Christmas Tree, the Community Art Program also created 2 huge banner murals, 6 ft by 50 ft and 12 ft by 30 ft, one being installed in Wiswall Park and one in a new location, at the old Ricketts site to help beautify the northern gateway to our community.
Mayor Larry Woolbright has been the guiding force in securing this new location for the Community Arts Program to display new projects. “While we work with the state, county and property owner about the challenges of this derelict site, it gives us a great opportunity to showcase the exceptional artwork and creativity of our residents in Ballston Spa,” says Mayor Larry Woolbright. The Mayor goes on “I”m so impressed by the artwork for this years holiday display. We have a lot to be thankful for here in Ballston Spa, one of which is a community that works hard to support and care about one another and to help make this village a great place to live, work and visit”.
It’s such a great way to shop for the holidays and support your local economy, with streets festooned with home town artistic touches of hand painted banners, hundreds of individually decorated Christmas ornaments and communities artistic cooperative efforts to create these spectacular murals, all to remind us that each of us can be a point of light in this world.
This year’s program was made possible by the generosity of: Hannaford Supermarket, Stewarts Shops, Saratoga Arts-Community Arts Grant, Curtis Lumber and the Village of Ballston Spa.
