Tucson Electric Power agreed to sponsor the Winterhaven Festival of Lights for the next five years.
The midtown neighborhood is putting on its 67th installment of the festival, in which residents adorn their houses with electric lights and set up holiday displays.
Starting next year, TEP pledged to provide $40,000 annually for the event, the company said in a news release. The funds will be used to pay off-duty police officers, as well as provide traffic control, barricades, insurance, portable restrooms and other items.
โWeโre very pleased to help ensure that this beloved Tucson tradition can continue for years to come,โ David G. Hutchens, TEPโs president and chief executive officer, said in a news release.
โWinterhaven residents describe the festival as their gift to Tucson. We feel the same way and consider this contribution as an opportunity to say โthank youโ to our customers and our community,โ Hutchens said.
TEP already donated energy-efficient LED lights to the festival and plans to promote incentives for the use of LED lights and other energy-efficiency programs at the festival.
โWe literally couldnโt have kept the lights on for future festivals without this pledge of support from TEP,โ festival chair Robin Dolezal said in the news release.
TEP employees, along with employees of Sturgeon Electric and Cox Cable, already donate their time to help hang lights in the neighborhood, Dolezal told the Star.
โI couldnโt be more excited. Itโs a great fit,โ he said.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe and Casino del Sol sponsored the festival in recent years with $35,000 donations, but discontinued that sponsorship, Dolezal said.
The festival costs more than $70,000 each year, Dolezal said. Vendors pay to offer their services at the festival, which largely offsets the expenses not covered by the major donations.
The Winterhaven organization set up an online funding campaign to help cover costs. To donate, visit the festivalโs website at www.winterhavenfestival.org.
