Final preparations for Christmas in Ridgely Winterfest

RIDGELY – The final preparations for Christmas in Ridgely Winterfest were discussed during a quiet December 1 Ridgely Town Commission meeting.

“We have raised as of tonight $58,621,” said Ridgely’s Clerk / Treasurer Stephanie Berkey. A last-minute donation of $5,000 towards the event came from Bilbrough’s Electric, who had previously given $500, “they were our top donor this year, which was very kind of them,” Berkey said. There is still a paint night fundraiser planned to help support the cause, making this the most successful year as far as total donations raised, according to Commission President Brad Sears. “I appreciate everybody who has helped out with this, because it was very slow getting started,” Berkey added.

Director of Operations David Crist commended the Public Works team for their effort getting all the lights up, “The guys did a very, very good job this year dealing with the wind and weather and stuff like that. But everything's up and on.” The plan is to leave the lights on until January 1, weather permitting. Crist said that he and his team of three staff members start putting up the lights the second week of October, and spend about two to three weeks in the summer assessing what works and what doesn’t. The timers go live on the eve of Thanksgiving, and Crist said that even though they start over a month prior, they always “get done last minute.” Crist joked that neither he nor any of his staff light up their own homes for Christmas after dealing with the Town’s abundance of lights. “We do it for the kids, that’s the big thing,” he said.

For Town employees, coordinating Christmas in Ridgely seems to never stop. Vendors travel from states like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York to participate. Berkey said she is still fielding calls from hopeful vendors, and takes inquiries starting the second the event is over.   

“I’m glad we’ve done it for as long as we've done it,” Crist said, “but this could possibly be the last one.” Though the donations look high now, financial concerns have plagued this year’s Winterfest. The Town reported being extremely underfunded in comparison with previous years as recently as October. “We were sweating it,” said Commissioner John Hurley, referencing the slow-going fundraising. Even if the festival is not possible in the future, Berkey and Crist promised the lights would still go up, and they would find a way to pivot to something less expensive.

This year’s Christmas in Ridgely Winterfest will be held on December 13 at 4 p.m with a fireworks display at 8 p.m. to end the night.