Duquesne Light said last year that the very iconic tree at Point State Park would be retired at the end of the 2021 holiday season.
The private company that runs a public utility said a new, “sustainable” display would replace the 30-year-old Tree of Lights.
The company ran a crowd-sourced campaign to find the next holiday display.
The winning team was Ben Towne and his partners at Dagostino Electronic Services, Duquesne Light said in a news release. The release said Towne is a Carnegie Mellon University graduate.
The winning display, however, won’t go up for the 2022 holiday season.
The power company cited “ongoing supply chain constraints” and said it is planning for the display to premiere in 2023.
In the release, Duquesne Light President and CEO Kevin Walker said the company looks “forward to giving our customers and the community a new tree that they can be proud of and admire for years to come.”
But Duquesne Light won’t leave Point State Park in the dark this holiday season!
The company plans to add snowflakes and additional lighting to help “add a beautiful ambiance” to Point State Park, Walker said in the news release. The 2022 display will be ready in time for Light Up Night, which is on Nov. 19.
So, what will the display for 2023 include?
Well, it sounds really great, actually.
The company selected Towne and Dagostino through a crowd-sourced campaign using HeroX. Their motive was to find a display that would be more sustainable and “would better protect the integrity of the park grounds.”
The winning team’s submission included “a modern, bright, festive and ‘smart’ tree design,” Duquesne Light said, adding that it will be “environmentally friendly with the use of new technologies.”
Features proposed include LED light strings that will use battery packs “to ensure resiliency during potential power disruptions.”
And check this out — the 2023 display will be animated.
In a statement from Duquesne Light’s news release, Towne said his team “was informed by years spent absorbing Pittsburgh history, including days in the Heinz History Center with special focus in their exhibits about the history of innovation in Pittsburgh. Time and again, this city has come up against constraints and found innovative ways to reinvent itself, while keeping up fun traditions that bring people together.”
Looking forward to 2023!
It's Christmas 365 