You know, two people yelled at me this week.
But what I read in The Philadelphia Inquirer absolutely and wonderfully made up for it.
A plan is taking shape to maintain the Wanamaker Christmas Light Show and Dickens Village.
Does anybody else hear Queen singing “We are the champions, my friends…”?
No? Just me?
That’s OK.
As with all championships, we can celebrate – but we also need to work on ensuing years.
The plan is to run the Light Show and Dickens Village this holiday season.
Seriously. You don’t hear Queen?
According to Philadelphia Magazine, the new owners of the Wanamaker building, TF Cornerstone, have launched a drive to amass $350,000 to maintain both the Light Show and Dickens Village.
Perhaps my favorite quote in The Inquirer’s piece is from TF Cornerstone’s senior vice president. “We knew the Wanamaker building was important when we came to Philly,” he said. “But I think we’ve been a little overwhelmed, frankly, with how central it is to Philadelphians’ consciousness…”
Welcome to Philadelphia, my dude. We do nothing by halves.
Take, for example, the president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, Kathryn Ott Lovell, who assessed the Light Show’s visitors at 2000 per hour.
And they all stand directly across from the display, on the second floor of Wanamaker’s, am I right?
The Dickens Village brings in 10,000 people a day.
I mean, yes – I account for about half of those visits. But still.
Ott Lovell, who clearly deserves a key to the city and maybe a Nobel prize, commissioned a study on the economic impact of the Wanamaker holiday attractions.
Um, it’s $30 million per holiday season.
Yeah.
And if I may, TF Cornerstone, can I suggest we run the Light Show and Dickens Village beyond the holiday season? Through January 30th for people who hate crowds? Christmas in July?
Ooh – and charge people to walk through the Dickens Village alone, at night, at Halloween.
Call me.
Hit that Inquirer article here for more, including who else is pitching in and the plans for the organ. And donate to the cause at SaveTheLightShow.org.
Because we’ll keep on fighting till the end.
