Ask The Answer Person your Christmas decorations questions

Paul e-mails: "Why do some of the Christmas lights on Water Street in Decorah not work?"

The Answer Person says: "Actually, what you're seeing in the daytime is not what you would see at night.  The Christmas decorations on Water Street all the way to West Decorah are on timers and it's sometimes tough for crews to get the timers to work well.  That's why you might see decorations lit up during the day--they're just left on.  But it's also why you might think other decorations aren't working, when they are.  The timers are tricky, so some are just left to operate the way they do."

Tamie e-mails: "Why doesn't the 200 block of East Water Street have Christmas lights on their poles?  Why are they left out?"

The Answer Person says: "A little bit of history here.  The current decorations are the result of a hard-working team of volunteers three years ago.  Up until that time, the Chamber of Commerce paid a company to put up Christmas displays.  The decorations were great, but the cost was much higher than could be paid on a regular basis.

The volunteers went out and contacted businesses to get donations for a permanent set of holiday decorations.  They got good support--but decorations on the west end, such as College Drive, had only the snowflakes and not the lights inside artificial garland.  That's the same situation as the 200 block of East Water Street--it does have a snowflake on one of its posts, but not the artificial garland.

There's a solution to this situation--donating money to the Chamber of Commerce!  Please send a check to the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce at 507 West Water Street in Decorah and make sure the check has a note which says 'Holiday Decorations.'  It's a great way to help make Decorah 'green' for the holidays!"