This Pomona neighborhood has the yuletide spirit
The holidays are in full swing, and neighbors on one Pomona street have come together to spread a little yuletide cheer.
For the second year in a row, neighbors and friends alike gathered to help light up the quaint rows of homes in the 400 block of West Columbia Street.
The operation, dubbed “Christmas on Columbia,” began early Saturday morning, Nov. 30, with a couple of tables set out in the middle of the street filled with Christmas decorations, extra lights and extension cords. The road was blocked off all day as neighbors helped themselves to items they needed to decorate their front yards. There was even a scissor lift to help decorators get to hard-to-reach places.
“We’re not Thoroughbred, we’re not trying to be to Thoroughbred,” said Kim Johnson, co-captain of the neighborhood watch group that organized the event, referring to the light displays on Thoroughbred Street in Rancho Cucamonga, which draws hundreds of people nightly during the holidays.
“We’re just trying to bring the spirit of Christmas back to Pomona,” Johnson said.
Of the 24 homes on Columbia Street, all but two will be participating this year. Johnson credits the close-knit dynamic of the neighborhood for getting almost everyone to agree to decorate.
“Our street is an eclectic mix of individuals, and we work together really well as a team,” she said. “If there’s anything that goes wrong, we’re here to support one another.”
Despite the frigid temperatures Saturday, neighbors were out decorating their homes. Some, like Johnson, who chose a Snoopy theme, started the work last week.
Albert Perez, co-captain of the neighborhood watch group, said by the end of December 2018, word had spread about the block of lights such that it was attracting dozens of cars every night.
This year, he said, his neighbors were interested in continuing to spread the festive spirit.
“They were asking us if we were doing it again. Especially the kids, they were so happy to see (the lights),” Perez said.
On Saturday, neighbors also pitched in to help decorate the home of a 99-year-old woman who recently passed away. The family of Audrey Heese, who was nicknamed the “queen of the block,” is pleased her neighbors will be decorating her home, Johnson said.
It continues the tradition started last year. Johnson said they went to Heese in 2018 and asked if she wanted them to decorate her home.
“She jumped up out of her chair and said ‘yes.’ On that day, she sat on the porch and she was so amazed,” Johnson recalled.
The idea for the collective decorating effort was born out of a discussion from a neighborhood watch meeting three years ago, said Johnson, who is a lifelong resident. All present at that meeting agreed they wanted to bring some positivity to the city.
She credits Councilman Rubio Gonzalez, who district encompasses the street, for his support.
Last year, Johnson went to Orchard Supply Hardware, which was closing, and bought dozens of strings of lights on clearance. She paid for other items out of her pocket as well, but for Johnson, the investment is about the giving season.
She gave those strings of lights and a red bow to every homeowner who has a tree in the front yard, something to tie the whole block together. Each homeowner, she said, is welcomed to decorate however they like.
“Christmas on Columbia” formally opens to the public at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, when the residents will turn on their lights. Gonzalez will be on hand, as will Mayor Tim Sandoval, who will name the block’s “best in show” winner. Visitors can check out the displays nightly through Dec. 31. Hours are 5:30 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5:30 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
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