17th Annual Cheshire Lights Of Hope Planned For Saturday

CHESHIRE, CT — Daylight Savings Time is over, and now Cheshire gets dark each night at around 4:30. Luckily, a beloved tradition is returning this Saturday that will bring some much-needed light to town.

Cheshire will celebrate its 17th annual Lights of Hope, which has raised millions of dollars for local charities since 2005 through the sale of luminary bags that light up and are displayed around town. The event has become a Cheshire institution, with schools, houses of worship, and homeowners all over town participating.

Don Walsh, who co-founded the event with his wife and was just reelected to the Third District Town Council seat, told the Cheshire Herald that his team has already pre-sold 30,000 luminary bags, a 10% increase from last year.

Last year, despite the pandemic, Lights of Hope raised over $1 million, large portions of which was donated to the Cheshire Community Food Pantry, Cheshire Youth and Family Services, the Petit Family Foundation, the Cheshire Food Drive, the Cheshire YMCA, and $2000 in scholarships for volunteer-oriented high school seniors, according to the event website.

Luminary kits can be purchased online through Friday at cheshirelightsofhope.com, and luminary kits can be picked up at First Congregational Church on Saturday. Luminaries can also be purchased on Saturday at Ace Hardware, First Congregational Church, Cheshire Nursery, and the Main Street Caffe.

The 2021 Lights of Hope event will start in front of the First Congregational Church at 2 p.m. Setup for the “Mile of Hope” will start at 2:30 p.m., and luminaries will be lit around town at dusk.