The lights of love

Eron Ben-Yehuda

The holiday spirit will shine at Pier Plaza on Sunday evening, with more

than 1,000 residents expected to join in the third annual “Light a Light

of Love.”

The celebration will begin at about 5 p.m. with a small parade down the

first two blocks of Main Street, event chairwoman Pat Guidotti said. The

parade will end at the plaza with a ceremony to light all the snowflakes

lining the pier and Main Street, she said.

“It’s a beautiful way to start a very beautiful time of the year,” City

Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff said. “Especially this year, there’s so

much hope in starting the year 2000.”

Anyone can adopt the “snowflake lights” at a cost of $500 each, Guidotti

said. The proceeds will benefit the Huntington Youth Shelter, which helps

runaway teenagers find their place in the world.

“The lighting of the lights really, to me, exemplifies what the holidays

are about, that is, helping others,” Dettloff said.

Some prominent donors include the Boeing Co., which gave $5,000, and Shea

Homes, which contributed $2,500, Guidotti said.

All donors will have their names posted beside their adopted snowflakes,

she said. To adopt your own, call the shelter at 847-5437.

The drill team from Huntington Beach High School and the Orange County

Song and Dance Company will be in the parade also, Guidotti said.

Santa Claus will follow in a red fire truck and he’ll invite spectators

to join him at the plaza, where singers Stan Patterson and Cindy Franklin

will belt out holiday tunes, she said.

The moment the lights are switched on, the crowd will sing along to the

holiday favorite “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” she said.

Guidotti, who has attended every ceremony, always gets caught up in the

moment.

“It kind of brings tears to your eyes,” she said.

Afterward, the dance company will perform, and children can sit on

Santa’s lap and have their pictures taken. The festivities are free but a

$2 donation for a picture with Santa will be welcomed.