The bright lights of Astoria

Published 3:18 am Wednesday, November 26, 2014

The Christmas Club struck Astoria again.

A small army of volunteers threaded garlands, hung ornaments and manned the cannon at the Clatsop County Courthouse last weekend, continuing a 19-year tradition hearkening back to the 1950s and ’60s of decorating downtown for the holidays.

The effort culminates with the Lighting of Downtown at 5 p.m. Saturday at 12th and Commercial streets outside the Liberty Theater.

Behind the Christmas Club is Tim O’Bryant — called “Mr. Christmas” by some — a driver for UPS, who came upon all the Christmas decorations 19 years ago at someone’s garage sale in Hammond while making a delivery.

“He wanted $100 apiece for them, and there’s like 70 of them,” said O’Bryant. “I came back the next day and told him the story about Astoria.”

O’Bryant remembers moving from Pendleton to Astoria in November 1959, the rain pouring down. And then the Christmas lights came on and made downtown dazzle for him and his family. Pacific Power and Light used to decorate downtown with city-owned Christmas lights from 1958 to 1966, said O’Bryant.

“I told him ‘I’ll tell you what; I’ll give you $100 for all of them,’” O’Bryant told the seller, who had purchased the ornaments at a city surplus auction. The seller also remembered downtown alight and promptly accepted O’Bryant’s offer, on the condition that he never part with the ornaments, many of which are still being used today.

O’Bryant has gathered quite the group of volunteers to complete the setup each year, estimating them at 30 to 50 strong.

Members of the Moose Lodge put together a Santa scene on anchor island with minutemen manning the cannon at the Clatsop County Courthouse. The Astoria Fire Department helps put up the stockings, bells, lanterns, candy canes, stars and other ornaments lining U.S. Highway 30 and the garlands winding up the antique light poles near the Liberty Theater. O’Bryant, members of the downtown association and other private citizens gather bucket trucks to hang garlands and more decorations downtown, and cover shrubs and trees in Christmas lights.

For Alana Garner, executive director of the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association, the lights are part of the unique experience downtown uses to compete with other businesses. Even before the lights go on Saturday, the downtown association has been pushing for its stores to stay open later; businesses downtown string up lights along the tops of their buildings; and owners and employees participate in events like Plaid Friday, a relaxed alternative to Black Friday at major retailers.

“That’s half the battle, getting people to go into the stores,” said Garner.

The Christmas Club is entirely supported by private donations.

“When we got started, the ADHDA (downtown association) was not very active,” said Kent Birdeno, president of Commercial Adjustment Co. and a volunteer with the Christmas Club. “We basically asked them if we could fall under their 501(c)(3) for raising funds for our project.”

The Christmas Club sends out hundreds of flyers each year seeking donations, this year including them in the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce’s December newsletter.

“Our goal is usually $5,000 a year,” said O’Bryant, who takes at least week off of work each year to repair and prepare decorations.

The garlands the club strings up across downtown cost $4,000 apiece fully decorated, said O’Bryant, and the group has to pay for replacements. They’ve held up well, he added, staying up through the Great Coastal Gale in 2007 — the ornaments were blown down the street during the storm, but businesses owners recognized and returned every one.

O’Bryant said he and his wife, Melba, who won a joint George Award from the Chamber in 2001 for their efforts, have thought about retiring from the yearly setup, after 19 seasons of readying downtown for Christmas — they also have one of the most impressive home Christmas displays to put together.

“We like to make people happy,” said O’Bryant. “The whole group does.”

More info.

To donate to the Christmas Club, make checks payable to the Christmas Club and send them to Christmas Club, P.O. Box 62, Astoria, OR 97103.