7th FOL generator stolen Friday

Another generator theft, combined with shortfalls in sponsors and volunteers, have prompted Festival of Lights organizers to consider canceling the annual Christmas light display.

The most recent theft of a single generator is thought to have occurred during the night of Nov. 27. It comes on the heels of a Nov. 13 theft in which all five of the generators used to power more than 500,000 lights along Chandler Boulevard were stolen.

“Without explaining to the press the measures we took, thus making ourselves more vulnerable, we can conclude that this time it took the thieves longer to steal the one they got and they had to do some damage to the generator in the process,” said Doug Topham, president of the company that supplies the lights, in a statement.

The thefts, combined with lower-than-usual sponsor and volunteer turnouts as well as the withdrawal of key members of the Festival of Lights Committee, are prompting talk of ending the lights display and all related events.

“We hear that people love what we do, and they show up to the events and have a good time, yet our efforts to attract fresh faces with new ideas to serve on the Committee have fallen on deaf ears,” said committee president Jim Crouch in the statement.

“The theft of generators is truly disappointing, something that makes us question our resolve to continue the light display going forward.”

Committee vice president Susan Ballman said the sponsorship decline was related to the sluggish housing market.

“We lost about a dozen long-time sponsors who were realtors, brokers, title and mortgage companies,” Ballman said. She added that all sponsorship spots are usually sold by early November, but this year five remained unfilled.

Both Crouch and Ballman announced earlier this year they’ll leave the committee after 2007’s events, and the festival has had difficulty finding volunteers to replace them.

“The absence of response from the community for volunteers to serve on the committee and the difficulty surrounding the display this year leave us wondering if anyone in Ahwatukee even cares if we continue doing this,” Crouch said.

Dixie Prosser, the festival’s event administrator, said talk of ending the Festival of Lights isn’t just idle chat.

“It’s a very real possibility this year will be the last one,” she said.

An organizational meeting in January 2008 will ultimately determine the Festival of Lights’ future. Organizers encourage community members interested in attending the meeting or volunteering to contact Prosser at (480) 252-2010 or admin@folaz.org.

In the meantime, this year’s light display remains up on Chandler Boulevard between 24th Street and Desert Foothills Parkway. They will stay up until after New Year’s.

Jason Ludwig can be reached at (480) 898-7916 or jludwig@aztrib.com.