“It doesn’t take a majority to win, just a tireless minority that will keep starting brush fires in the mind and hearts of their fellow men.”

Samuel Adams

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Sparkling Lights in Peru Looking Nice

Westclox will light up the fantastic Christmas displays on Saturday November 28. Peru has added some lovely bright lights in the same theme to Pulaski Square (Triangle) and it looks really nice and was much needed. Let this be the start of Community. I know that the lighting at the airport will take place next week but that is something many in town will not see simply because they do not drive especially at night. The airport display left many of us with questions as to why this was pushed through the Rec. Board

The community of Peru is mainly located outside of the area of the Plank Road except for a family or two. I think most of us would like the city to concentrate on our city streets and parks. There is so much still possible. Why not plant a tree or use an existing evergreen to have a Christmas Tree Lighting outdoors instead of trying to crowd people into the City Hall where few in this city will ever see the expensive display. I don't know whose ego this was done for but the money could have been better spent elsewhere.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

The new lights look great! Maud Powell area has new lights too. I agree an outside tree lighting ceremony would be nice.

I'm disappointed with the plan to have lights at the airport. Where can they expand to? There is a curvy road into the airport and it's not that wide. Poor location and merely copying what LaSalle is doing so wonderfully.

Anonymous said...

the lights at the airport is a lame attempt to copy the LaSalle Rotary Park display.

Total waste of time and money. Things like this should not be done by the government. Even the Rotary Park display is an ABUSE of government power. Leave it to private sector businesses or individuals to do stuff like this. IT IS NOT THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT.

Anonymous said...

i also saw that Maude Powel is now lit up and a small lighting on east side of Baker Lake. Good work who ever down at city hall is behind these things.keep it up.

Anonymous said...

Pray that all had a Happy Thanksgiving and will have a wonderful Christmas Season as a remembrance leading to the true reason of Christmas. May this season be shared among one another with those who have been endowed to help those who are in need of a helping hand.
To those who find the Christmas Season the most joyous be thoughtful that many others find it to be the most stressful and it is our duty to help them when possible. Truthfully the decorations and lighting are a major contributor and Thanks to all involved.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it revealing how controversy and scandal permeates every aspect of Peru govenment administration. Now Peru is attempting to mimic LaSalle's legitimate Christmas Celebration of Lights by having a Peru disply at of all places an airport. I have been asking how much the city is paying for their gaudy and amatuerish displays and nobody seems to know how much or even where the money to purchase lights or the cost of setting up the displays cost the taxpayers opf Peru. I asked my alderman and he told me and I quote, "a rich benefactor has provided a substantial donation to the Recreation Board" to fund the light displays at the airport. I said, really? Who is it, I asked? My alderman could not keep a straight face and laughed as he said, "Well, he wants to remain anonymous". I guess if there really is for instance, some "rich farmer" or "wealthy contractor" in the area who "sucks up" huge gobs of patronage cash at the expense of Peru's taxpayers and he wants to give some back I think that's just great. But I must point out that this is a new twist on the Peru Way of Doing Business. Typically Peru's glad-handing recipients of patronage cash give back little to the city they feed off of. That's why I'm suspicious that the money for the Peru copy-cat displays at Peru's airport and beyond are really coming from some more "creative bookkeeping" on the part of our ethically challenged Peru officials. Now that slight of hand financing of Christmas is much more indicitive of the true spirit of Peru's idea of celebrating the Holidays. Taxpayer cash travels round and round the old Christmas tree in Peru. Why not light up the night with it and tell the taxpayers it was all just "divine intervention"? Only in Peru folks!

Anonymous said...

I just have a strange feeling that the lights at the airport are going to look quite similar to the ones at Rotary Park. I wonder what magazine they ordered the lights from....

Anonymous said...

Rich Benefactor my behind. It is being paid for by Mr. and Mrs. Average Citizen.

Anonymous said...

I believe the donor of the Christmas lights is SM who is on the wreck board.

Anonymous said...

Don`t think is was a donation. He was stuck paying the bill because he did a not so nice thing.

Anonymous said...

My best guess is that the city connected the necessary electrical fixtures to accommodate these displays. I also think the city put up some new light poles to accommodate the lights. How many man hours and how much equipment was used would probably have to be FOIA'd if it's at all possible. I personally would rather see the money being spent on gradually replacing the outdated and sad fixtures we hang on our light poles on 4th street and Shooting Park Road. Half of them don't even work.

Anonymous said...

Why try and copy cat what La Salle is doing? I find it sad that Peru cannot come up with something original rather than have to steal La Salle's idea. Shameful

Anonymous said...

The downtown and Shooting Park Road decorations belong to the CSO. The leadership in that organization hasn't done anything original since the Carter Administration.

Anonymous said...

Those decorations 11:06 are, in my opinion,obsolete and need to be updated. Pulaski Park triangle looks wonderful. Why can't we duplicate that at Centennial Park and maybe Rotary Park too? I'd like to see Peru get noticed for it's own creativity and not for copy catting La Salle or any other town.

Anonymous said...

Rotary Park? You mean that patch of grass with the old Civil War Statue? Nobody goes there and decorating it will not generate ANY SALES TAX.

Anonymous said...

Rotary Park in Christman lights would be awesome. Let's do some period decorating to coordinate with the great sculpture of our Civil War history. Great place to also put a lighted Christmas tree. It would certainly look pretty and be an easier access for all local residents than the airport.

Anonymous said...

The goal of the money sucking investors in Peru is to invest only in the areas which they own land. The less invested in downtown and the more invested in property north of Shooting Park the happier they are.
Last week it took over 2 hours to locate a ambulance to take someone out of Peru to be treated because of the lack of a Doctor with the needed background at our hospital. Why haven't the local hospitals been combined to make it possible to gather more services?

Anonymous said...

I'm all for it 7:58 - as long as absolutely no government money is used. Zilch, none, nadda. No labor, no city bucket truck, no city electricity. None. 100% pure private money only!

Anonymous said...

Why has no one mentioned the phenomenal display at the Westclox building? These folks have outdone themselves and I cannot imagine the amount of $$$$ invested in their display. Not to mention paying the City of Peru BIG $$$ for the power to light them. I certainly think this professional display deserves some appreciation and recognition.

Anonymous said...

I'm an advocate for lighting up Centennial Park. It's centrally located and many, many people travel West Street and would enjoy the beauty in their daily travels. My opinion.

Anonymous said...

Why do we need the city to do anything when we have the display put on by the owners of the Westclox building? It is centrally located and looks way better than anything Peru government can do.

Anonymous said...

1 AM 11;30 Comments about long waits and unknown ambulance locations are not something new. Doesn't Peru donate $5,000/month for ambulance service. Is the city as liable as the ambulance service when a ambulance cannot be located to perform a emergency service.
To be precise a young child is involved and more will be disclosed. If I had any responsibility I would be seeking all facts. Do both ambulances need to go to lunch at the same time. If the claim is to be that they don't why are they always parked together at meal times. This is a emergency service is it not?

Anonymous said...

The long wait is typically for routine transfers from our inadequate hospital to the good hospitals in Peoria. Routine transfers to other hospitals should be handedly by the hospital - not the ambulance service. However, the way it is structured, the ambulance service makes big bucks transferring patients from nursing homes, to IVCH, and then to Peoria. Medicade pays for this in most cases.

We need a hospital that can treat these patients or the hospital needs to staff an ambulance or two to handle routine transfers.

Some day we are going to have a mass casualty event and half our ambulances will be out driving non critical patients to Peoria.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 9:42AM
Thank You, I'll refrain from commenting I what am thinking presently.
Again, Thank You

Anonymous said...

Extremely sad! The light "display" benefactor, member of the Peru Recreation Board, was given the catalog because he showed interest in purchasing a display for the LaSalle Rotary Park light display event. He then purchased the exact same displays LaSalle has in Rotary Park to be placed at the Peru airport. Why duplicate what is being done so well?

The displays in Rotary Park were purchased by Illinois Valley businesses. It doesn't seem right to purchase the same displays that participating businesses generously sponsored! So much more could have been done with the money!

Anonymous said...

Did someone flip the switch at the airport early by mistake. I thought the lighting of the new displays was to be held tomorrow Dec. 6th at 4:00 by the Peru Park and Rec Board. Rotary Park in La Salle is a must see. It's spectacular. The time, work, and effort put into it will be appreciated by many this holiday season.

Anonymous said...

If you visited the lighted display at the airport I'd like to hear your opinion. If you also attended the Peru festivities this past weekend I'd like to hear you opinion on them.

Anonymous said...

12:36 Dec. 7
I visited the airport display and while it's an attempt to duplicate Rotary Park in La Salle it will never compare because the location doesn't allow for it to grow to the magnitude of La Salles. What I find strange is that you have to be leaving the airport to actually view the displays themselves

Anonymous said...

I agree with you 10:14, you should be greeted by the signs as you enter the airport, but with that being said those displays do not belong there to begin with. we should be lighting up Peru so all can enjoy the beautiful displays as we drive to and from work, shopping, school, the normal everyday activities. As for duplicating Rotary Park, that is a huge compliment Peru is paying Lasalle, because remember imitation is the best form of flattery.

Anonymous said...

I find all these lights very distracting. Especially on the side streets. It is a safety hazard and they should be outlawed. Driving by Westclox is very dangerous now - I can't wait for them to be taken down. And the looky loo's stopping in traffic are frightening!