Bill Becker, one of the volunteers, said a small tunnel near the soccer fields was severely damaged and can’t be repaired. Another large display was damaged but it’s in “good shape,” he said.
He said the repairs will continue Tuesday and the drive-through lights display is on schedule to open later this month.
It was “pretty scary” Sunday at the park so the city was notified and the park was closed, Becker said.
Also on Sunday, the “Hamilton Welcomes the Holidays” Christmas tree was knocked over at Marcum Park. The tree was quickly repaired and erected, said Carla Fiehrer, a city council member and part of the Hamilton holiday committee.
Fiehrer said she saw on social media the tree was knocked over so she drove by Monday morning. She said the tree didn’t appear to be damaged. She said city employees must have quickly fixed the tree.
“I thank them for that,” she said.
She said the tree was knocked over by high winds last year and more stakes and wiring were used to stabilize the 30-foot pine tree.
Gary and Donna Trudel donated the tree and Hamilton city employees decorated it Friday afternoon.
Fiehrer said the city has decorated a Christmas tree for decades and this is the third year at Marcum Park. Unlike in the past, there will be no tree-lighting ceremony or Santa Claus, she said. Instead, TvHamilton will broadcast the lighting of the tree at 6 p.m. Nov. 21.
Light Up Middletown, in its 21st year, will be open from 6-10 p.m. Nov. 26 through New Year’s Eve at Smith Park. Admission to the display is by donation and proceeds are used for park upgrades and the purchase of lights, said Barney Strassburger, grounds manager.
Winds were recorded at 45 to 65 mph Sunday, causing extensive power outages throughout the region, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
Sally Thelen, a spokeswoman for Duke, said at the height of the outages, 29,000 throughout the service area were without power.
In Butler County, there were 2,278 outages Sunday and 8,348 in Warren County, all attributed to weather, with the winds bringing down branches and trees on Duke power lines and breaking equipment on poles, Thelen said.
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