Let's do the lights right. A campaign has begun to fund the permanent Christmastime lighting of maple trees in Wait Park.

Last year, white yuletide lights were missing from Canby's downtown park, and many residents missed the serene scene in the heart of the city.

Although the gazebo was decorated, some people felt it failed to provide the magical quality of a complete seasonal setting. A lonely leaning Christmas tree in Pioneer Plaza was downtown's only other Winter Wonderland feature.

Funds could not be found in the city budget or from other sources to pay the $5,000 annual bill for lights, which were taken down and tossed out when the holiday season ended.

Now a bunch of willing local business people and citizens want to restore the tree-lighting tradition in Wait Park.

Their plan also calls for decorative wreaths to be placed around lampposts, and for a fully lighted - and upright - Christmas tree in Pioneer Plaza.

"Sandi Gault of International Hairways did a lot of groundwork to get the ball rolling on the lights project," said Canby Herald advertising manager Chris Sweet, one of about 15 members of the Canby Retail Merchants Group, which supports the tree-lighting revival.

"The more money that is raised, the more trees will be lit in the park."

Gault, the owner and a stylist at the Canby Holly Mall hair salon, contacted elected city officials and staff, the parks department, Canby Utility, and local businesses to elicit approval and support for the project.

Kory MacGregor, president of Roth Heating and Cooling, has committed to giving $2,000 to the project. His company, Wilson Construction and Canby Utility were generous annual donors to the lighting project until the fall of 1999.

"Last year, there really wasn't the energy or the money to do it," he said.

"It was very expensive to light the trees, and it was a big fiasco getting them hung in the trees."

MacGregor said the idea is to raise money through donations to pay to fully light at least four maple trees near the gazebo in time for Christmas and New Year 2000. The gazebo would also be lit, and a Christmas tree would again be placed in Pioneer Plaza.

"We think we have come up with a realistic budget for permanent lights that can be used at different times of the year," he said.

"For $6,000, we can have smaller lights than require more maintenance, and a smaller Christmas tree. For $8,000, we can have better, longer-term lights, and a bigger tree."

MacGregor said he hopes other local businesses will match his South Anderson Road firm's donation.

But any amount will be gratefully accepted.

"We'll take anybody's money - any kind, any color, any flavor," he said. "It doesn't matter if it's only pennies from people: The more, the better. We want to raise as much as we can, and we're challenging other companies to make a contribution."

The way MacGregor sees Wait Park, it represents a little more than a nice spot to enjoy a weekday lunch, or a weekend stroll.

"I call it, 'the Norman Rockwell experience on the West Coast,'" he said.

"It's a nice, picturesque park. Lighting adds to its ambience and aesthetic . . . Wait Park is very positive for the community, its people, and its merchants. I think putting in lights is a really cool and neat thing to do, and we hope other people support it."

The Light Up Company, a Beaverton firm specializing in holiday and promotional lighting and decorations, has been contacted about its recommended year-round lights.

The firm will install the lights, and inspect them prior to each Christmas season to ensure they remain in good working condition.

However, in order to include Canby in its busy Christmas schedule, the company needs to know if its services will be required by June 30.

As a result, project supporters are eager to find out if the lighting project has the backing - emotional and/or financial - of the Canby community before making a firm commitment.

The lights don't come cheap - If the most expensive option is pursued, it would cost about $800 to light just one tree, and a further $300 for light bulbs for just one tree. That's a total of $1,100 per tree.

So, with Wait Park featuring 19 maple trees, it would cost $20,900 to install lights throughout the entire park. (MacGregor said the quoted prices were reasonable, considering he received a $30,000 quote for the Christmas tree alone from another company.)

Obviously, it's a longshot to raise that much money, but the project's backers are hoping people will give whatever they can to ensure current and future generations in Canby get to enjoy the seasonal spectacle of lovely lights.

Showcasing four beautifully lit trees this Christmas may inspire others to give to the cause, and more trees will, hopefully, be lit come Christmas 2001, MacGregor said.

In addition to Gault and MacGregor's efforts, Joe Stone of Fisher's Old-Fashioned Meats is providing 20 donation canisters for townsfolk to make contributions, should they like to see lights return to the downtown park.

Donations can be made at Fisher's, Cutsforth's Thriftway, Parsons Canby Pharmacy, International Hairways, Roth's, the Herald, and other downtown businesses.

For more information on the year 2000 lights fund-raising project, call MacGregor at 266-1249.