This year’s Cochrane Light Up is being hailed as the most successful to date, after festive friends and families filled the streets last weekend at the town’s official Christmas kickoff.
“It was really good. I think we scored our biggest crowd this year absolutely, hands down,” said organizer Marie Fedeyko.
Fedeyko said volunteers handed out 12,000 hot dogs and innumerable cups of hot chocolate during Saturday’s event – which she estimated drew an impressive 15,000 people into Historic Downtown.
While mild weather definitely contributed to the numbers, Fedeyko said the popularity of the event is also helping to boost attendance.
“I think it’s becoming more and more well known,” she said, adding the visitors’ centre recorded residents from Calgary and outlying areas. “It’s nice to hear it’s getting some pull from outside. It’s a great time for families – that stuff starts to spread.”
While most of the event went off without a hitch, an on-site search and rescue crew was engaged to help find four children and one senior who were briefly lost in the crowd. Safety is something Fedeyko said she is keenly aware of when the crowds get as big as they did on the weekend.
“Any time you start pushing numbers like that, it becomes a concern for all of us to make sure it’s safe.”
Despite the few hiccups along the way, Fedekyo said she, along with Cochrane businesses, volunteers and participants, are thrilled with the results of this year’s outdoor holiday fete.
“Every year that we do it, we get better,” she said. “Everybody was pretty happy … with the results.”
