Charleroi: Participants must register for decorating contest

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

The Charleroi Area Fire Department is hoping residents choose to get in the holiday spirit this year.

President Glenn Shipley said the department hosted its first annual Christmas decorating contest last year.

Though prizes were given to first, second and third place, residents were not required to officially register to participate in the contest. 

“Last year we decided to do something, just to show people we want to be involved in our communities and to get people excited for the holidays,” Shipley said. “We kind of just put it out there but didn’t redo registration.

“Instead, it took us like three hours to visit every house on every street in all of our communities. It was a lot.”

This year, the department is requiring residents to register their homes if they would like to be considered. 

Residents in Charleroi, Speers, Dunlevy and Twilight can register their homes at no cost by emailing cfd33@comcast.net and providing their name and address.

Members of the fire department are not eligible to win.

The contest will be judged by three people not affiliated with the department, including one public official, who has not been determined, and two business owners, who have not yet been announced.

“I will take our three judges to each residence that registered,” Shipley said. “Our judges will vote for each home on a scale of one to five. Then, after we have visited each house, we will tally up the results to determine who came in first, second and third place.”

Winners will receive $100, $75 and $50 gift cards to local restaurants.

Shipley said all prizes were funded solely by the fire department.

“This is all us,” he said. “This is something that we do to give back to our community. It is not a donation to us, or for us, it’s just us getting involved.”

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Wednesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.