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Muskegon GLOW will light up Western Avenue until the New Year

The $40,000 community effort to light up Western Ave. will cover Second to Seventh Street with thousands of colorful holiday lights.

MUSKEGON, Mich. — A big holiday glow is about to return to Muskegon's downtown, and it may have some city residents reminiscing about holiday seasons of the past. 

Muskegon GLOW collected around $40,000 in community donations to wrap trees along Western Ave. from Second Street to Seventh Street with colorful holiday lights.

The idea took off after Five Star Real Estate agent Terry Puffer created a facebook page to promote the idea. Puffer hopes the lights attract visitors to the city's downtown from late November to the New Year.

Puffer says he remembers a time when Muskegon's downtown was the place to go to see the best and brightest holiday lights, most were around and inside the former Muskegon Mall.

"That was super powerful for me to come down here as a kid. We'd take a look at all the lights, the big moose that was in there," Puffer said. "I wanted to bring that back downtown."

Credit: Lakeshore Museum Center
Black and white night image of Western Avenue, looking east at Market Street and the Flatiron building, decorated for Christmas, circa 1950s. At left is Ar. Jers Clothing, Neumode Hosiery, Schillers, and Marvin Credit Jewelers. At right is Kresge and Woolworths.

It will take hundreds of thousands of lights to make Muskegon's downtown glow the way Puffer remembers when he was a child. Additional donations are being collected to allow the collection of lights to grow from year to year.

Muskegon GLOW received financial support from VanDyk Mortgage, Rad Dads' Tacos, Mercy Health Arena and Five Star Real Estate.

The lights will turn on following the city of Muskegon's tree lighting ceremony at Hackley Park on Nov. 27.

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