By Cecilia Nasmith
Look for Christmas Magic in Cobourg to return to Victoria Park this holiday season.
Meeting as a committee of the whole this week, council accepted Bruce Moore's recommendation – on behalf of the ad hoc committee he headed – to move the display away from the Esplanade, where it had been not very visible and (with the busy street and the proximity of the harbour) had posed a safety hazard for children.
Instead, this display will be augmented with additional displays and lights that fall within budget, then moved back to Victoria Park where it greeted the holiday season for so many years.
The display in Rotary Waterfront Park will remain, with its more prominent location and its outdoor skating rink.
The committee also recommended that most of the lights be illuminated nightly until late February, as opposed to the traditional early-January date when they blink out for another season.
Moore also recommended an effort to recruit additional volunteers as another holiday season approaches.
As well, he hopes to garner financial support and sponsorships that will help the annual event recapture its past glory, though he acknowledged this could take several years.
“I have never seen seven people work so well and diligently,” Councillor Adam Bureau remarked.
“They took everything into consideration, from the residents in the condos to the residents around Victoria Park to the safety of the children at night.”
