ELORA – The much-discussed Village of Lights is a go in Elora, and kicks off Friday, January 17th at 6 p.m. sharp.
Kat Florence Canada, run by Don Kogen and Kristy Hillis, are giving subsidies to businesses in the downtown corps, allowing them to light up their storefronts.
The event comes on the heels of a Christmas Market in Elora that drew thousands, and led to complaints from residents, and ultimately, Kat Florence pulling the plug on the Village of Lights.
Kogen says it “exploded.” He explains about 700 people rode the shuttle in town that night, matching the total for the entire month of August.
This market, Kogen tells the Grand at 101, provided a degree of traffic that was new to the township.
In advance of the Village of Lights, Centre Wellington Mayor Shawn Watters says the township is feeling better prepared after seeing the traffic at the market.
Kogen and his wife have been busy in Elora in recent years, restoring historic buildings in the downtown corps and being a part of the busy Christmas market.
So busy that the pair had originally pulled out of the Village of Lights following mass resident backlash.
Ultimately, Kogen explains the community banded together to bring the event back to life.
With the Village of Lights running each Friday, Saturday and Sunday from January 17th to March 16th, both Kogen and Watters say they are focused on doing what’s best for the community, and equipped with more resources.
A performance from the Grand Celtic Pipe Band and even a very exclusive “Icon series” concert and dinner mark the event.
