By Dean Vaglia
Leader Staff Writer
The Larry Obrecht Bridge was lit up for the second year in a row on Tuesday, Nov. 23.
Strung up by Excel Cleaning Bros., over 300 C9 light bulbs flicked on not long after sunset. An Oxford Chamber of Commerce ceremony for the lighting, hosted at the NES Plumbing Heating and Cooling storefront, featured many local figures honoring what is shaping up to be a new annual tradition.
This year’s lighting had dryer — if not warmer — weather than the inaugural lighting in 2020, though the lights and banners still required approval from the Village of Oxford Council, the Polly Ann Trail and MDOT.
The lights will run until Jan. 1, 2022. The chamber covered Excel Cleaning’s decorating costs while NES will pay for the power.
The Larry Obrecht Bridge connects the Polly Ann Trail’s Oakland County segments as it crosses over Washington St. at the north end of the Village of Oxford and is open to foot and bike traffic. Named after the former county commissioner, the bridge cost $2 million to build.