IN OUR BEGINNING

I remember first asking some of my Fire Department “brothers” for ideas but most thought it ‘impossible’. That merely turned the challenge into ‘An Adventure’ for me…a Christmas Quest.

John Galinelli, a senior Firefighter AND Narragansett Electric Company line foreman gave me direction on how the project could be done but also advised that it would take time and money.

…undeterred,

I met Davison Bolster walking on Water Street to Mercier’s Hardware. He didn’t seem to think I was out of my mind (at the time). We were talking about the plan at the counter when Gary Wagenbach, owner of Mercier’s, chimed in. “Well,” said Gary, “I’ve got a couple of cases of white Christmas lights that I’ll give you…you just have to put them up and figure out how to plug them in!” GREAT… (here is when Davison begins to question my sanity).

Well, here was my plan:

I bought 3-4 broom-handles and a box of nails from Mercier’s to make “Christmas Light Hanging Sticks”. Then I used the ‘Tom Sawyer-Huck Finn approach’ to get Davison and some of my Fire Station buddies to help me hang the 200 strings of lights in the trees from Church Street to the Junction (where Water and Main streets meet). The trees were a lot bigger back then (a story for another day). Since I was working more than full time as an Emergency Department RN, the project became more of a ‘Forced March’ in near darkness and coldest hours of the day than the Mark Twain’s fence white-washing project!

AHHH, now to plug the lights in… well, for years, I had the honor and privilege to have one of the biggest newspaper routes in Warren, covering most of the North end. My Christmas tradition, suggested by my wise mom, was to hand-cut trees and mittens from colored construction paper, write Holiday wishes on them, and put them in the newspapers I delivered on Christmas Eve morning and Christmas morning (Mom disapproved the idea of stuffing a cheap card in a white envelope the Saturday before Christmas because it “inferred that the customer should put a tip in it and you know…some of our neighbors just can’t afford that!).”

So, I explained the history of the cards and my new idea to my new wife, Ellen, who easily figured out that the story was really only a ploy to have her write the cards, especially ‘since you have such nice handwriting’. The construction paper cards were beautiful and the note with instructions to “Please plug in the lights in the trees in front of your house the night after Thanksgiving around 6 PM when you hear the siren. If you need an extension cord, please go to Mercier’s to pick one up or give me a call to help.” (Oh, I also told Gary to put the cost of any extension cords, for which our neighbors came in, on my ‘tab’…yep, many ‘Nort-enders’ were given the courtesy of a ‘Tab’ at Mercier’s)

The Big Night. Well for quite some time, Main Street had been adorned with real Christmas trees on 12-foot poles decorated with big colored lights, and there was a Creche (Nativity Scene) setup on the Town Hall lawn …I’ll tell you that story another time! Traditionally the lights for the display and trees would be turned on by someone selected by the Town Council President on the night of the 1st Council meeting in December.

‘Time for a New Tradition’

Light up Water Street then March to the Town Hall

BTW…I was not really sure my plan would work…but, by now, you know that I’m a bit unbalanced…

Around 5 PM, Capt. Vinny Calenda, with the old Open Cab Engine 3, met me on the water end of Miller and Water Streets. It was really cold with snow-flurries, so we moved the trash barrel from Baker Street Park to our spot, put some scrap wood in it, and lit a fire. As I was whispering a little silent prayer and talking to my bride and Vinny, dozens of ‘Nort-enders’ started to show up! THEN, Nathanial Porter Inn’s owner, Bob Warren marched up Water Street with his dad and the Kentish Guards in full Redcoats with drums, fifes, flags, and guns! “Well, I guess we’ll have a PARADE too!”

Just before quarter to 6, another neighbor and dear family friend, Gladys Sweet, came up to me in tears, asking if her granddaughter, who was very sick, could launch the lighting…”Of Course!”.

The little girl was pretty cold so I lifted her onto the seat of Engine 3 where Capt. Calenda had cranked on the heat. It was only 10 minutes to 6 but she was so excited that she jumped up to get a better look and stepped on the siren button; the Kentish Guard Officer gave the order to “FIRE”; AND…all our ‘Nort-end’ Neighbors plugged in their lights!!!

The Warren Holiday Tradition Began!