‘Norris Shines’ beckons visitors to tour city for holiday lights
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John and Shirley Walker decorate a tree in their front yard on Deer Ridge Road in Norris in preparation for the Norris Shines holiday lights and decorations event underway throughout the city until Dec. 26. - G. Chambers Williams III
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This is the “2 Bucks Guarding Gated Drive” entry on this year’s Norris Shines scavenger-hunt list. It’s in front of a home on Dairy Pond Road in Norris. - G. Chambers Williams III
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This poster lists the items to find for the scavenger hunt associated with this year’s Norris Shines holiday decorations event in Norris. - G. Chambers Williams III
The annual “Norris Shines” nightly holiday lights and decorations event will continue through Dec. 26, with hundreds of homes and businesses festively adorned for Christmas.
Norris Shines also includes a scavenger hunt that is designed to lead people to search all of the participating neighborhoods to find specific items of decoration – such as a home with “50-plus Santas,” “roof covered in colored lights,” “five nativity scenes,” “Santa in a rocket, helicopter,” and “bucks guarding gated drive.”
Information and a scorecard for the scavenger hunt can be found on the Norris Recreation Commission’s Facebook page.
In late August, dozens of volunteers turned out in downtown Norris on a Saturday to begin hanging Christmas lights in the Town Center area in preparation for the annual tradition.
Randy Kurth of the Norris Lions Club helped shepherd the volunteer efforts to string up thousands of holiday lights on the downtown buildings and the city’s gazebo across West Norris Road.
Volunteers climbed ladders and took to the rooftops to string the lights, which were provided by donors ranging from civic organizations to businesses and individuals. Lights were hung on the front of the former restaurant in the Town Center building that also houses the now-closed Archer’s Market.
Coordinated by the Norris Recreation Commission, the Norris Shines organizers began planning for this year’s event in early summer, seeking donations of holiday lights and people willing to volunteer a few hours of their time to make it happen for 2024.
One concern was making sure the Town Center was adorned with plenty of lights this season, even though most of the Town Center building is empty of tenants.
“Right now, the downtown is in a transition,” Norris Shines committee member Bonnie Peacock said in an announcement earlier. “Most of the stores are closed.
“With few or no lights, the downtown area could really put a damper on the holidays,” she said. “Norris Shines is not going to let this happen.
“We plan to put numerous new sparkling icicle lights on all of the Town Center buildings, making them prettier than ever and making our downtown area cheery and bright.”
Besides the downtown gazebo, across West Norris Road from the Town Center, the group each year puts up thousands of lights at both main entrances into Norris, along with asking residents and businesses to light up their properties, too.
“Putting the lights up really gets you in the Christmas spirit,” she said. “It is a lot of fun working with other Norris citizens in making our town beautiful during the most wonderful time of the year.
In addition to Peacock, the Norris Shines leadership committee consists of Mike Robinson, Cynthia Edrington, Susan Batchelor, Ann Lesar and Brianne Kibler.
