Ear: Lights

“I’m wondering about the new(ish) colored lights on the Astoria Column,” Hope Harris wrote. “There seems to be no rhyme or reason for the rainbow of colors to be on … I thought there was supposed to be an occasion. Who decides when they’re on?” A photo of an LED light demonstration is shown, courtesy of Colin Murphey/The Astorian. 

“After the lights were purchased, the Friends of Astoria Column and the city of Astoria decided that creating a ‘light show’ would be a great way to display the new lights,” Lyndsay Salmi, Astoria Column Gift Shop manager, explained.

“There are hundreds of different combinations of colors that can be created with our new lights, but it was agreed upon to display the more ‘primary’ colors in a 5-minute show.”

“The daily light show is supposed to start at 5 p.m. and continue on the hour, every hour, until sunrise. However, there is a delay … so if you look up at 5 p.m., and don’t see the lights on yet, give it until 5:05 p.m., and they should turn on.”

Nope, there’s no special occasion involved. “The light show is something for all to enjoy,” Lyndsay added, “and it is spectacular!”