Centralia Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marcus Holland says money raised through Balloon Fest is helping to fund the new holiday lights in downtown Centralia.
He says the inception of this project was through the passion of Wes Monken and discussed at Downtown Business Group meetings with the Chamber of Commerce. Shannon Cooney, a member of the chamber and DBG, championed Wes’s ideas as it was formed into a vision that started in 2022 through private donations and partnership.
“Balloonfest has been successful for the past several years. Last year we donated $7000 from the proceeds and this year it was over $11,000 so we are happy to be a contributing factor to the downtown holiday lights. We want to thank the City, the Centralia Foundation, Wes Monken and other private investors as well. It’s definitely a community coming together to look better and have something more festive.”
Holland feels the additional lights in 2023 bring increased traffic to the downtown community and businesses. He notes every pole on Broadway and Locust is now decorated and the new tree provided by the City of Centralia in the intersection of the two streets embraces the history and nostalgia of past Christmases in Centralia.
Holland notes the project is planned to continue over the next few years with more holiday displays throughout the community. He adds other improvements to the aesthetics of downtown are also planned to be completed in upcoming months using funds from a DCEO Attractions Grant awarded to the City of Centralia.
