Heights Plaza wreaths a sign of the holidays, nod to the past

Passersby at Heights Plaza in Harrison likely will notice the 28 oversized pine wreaths hung Saturday by Harrison Commissioner Chuck Dizard and a group of fellow holiday elves.

The 4-foot wreaths are illuminated with tiny white lights and appointed with a large red bow.

Dizard said the sight might evoke nostalgia for people old enough to remember the decor, which hung in the plaza nearly 30 years ago.

Resurrected by the township’s recreation board in 2017, the wreaths have been rewired, relit and refurbished, Dizard said.

The project cost about $2,000 and was paid for by the township.

“For residents young and old, the wreaths have huge emotional value for memories of Christmas past,” he said.

Throughout the 1960s, the plaza boasted large red-and-white candy canes hanging from utility poles at Christmas. Those were replaced by lighted stockings in the 1970s and then by wreaths, each with a triple candelabra.

When the wreaths came down for the last time, they sat for many years in the former Sears storefront until Dizard uncovered the lost treasure.

He moved them to the old Riverview school on 11th Avenue for safe keeping.

“When that was sold to the developers to create the Riverview Senior Living center, we moved the wreaths back to the plaza in the former Save A Lot,” he said.

From there, the recreation board worked behind the scenes to have the brackets reinstalled on the plaza light poles.

“We painstakingly cleaned all the wreaths, repainted the ribbon, repaired the wiring and purchased and installed 700 white lights and 84 candelabras,” Dizard said.

Plaza management rewired the light poles for safety.

“This is a nice community volunteer project that many people might not really understand what is involved when they see the wreaths mounted in these pre-Christmas nights,” he said.

Dizard said the board purchased an old international shipping container to store the wreaths at the municipal complex in the offseason.

“All 28 are lit, and they look great,” Dizard said. “It’s a nice kickoff to the holidays.”