On Friday, December 7, the Cooper City community gathered to celebrate the start of the holiday season with lights, performances and food at the annual Light Up Cooper City festival, located between Cooper City Town Hall and Memorial Park, just off of SW 90th Ave.
Traffic was backed up to Pioneer Middle School and officers from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, as well as CCHS Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), directed traffic and maintained order despite the overwhelming popularity of the event and the high turnout of the Cooper City community. The night kicked off at 6 p.m., lasting until 9 p.m.
“My favorite part, believe it or not, is the snow,” Cooper City resident Gretchen Pereyra said.
The family event included Christmas trees decorated by the Cooper City community. The trees themselves often centered around a theme or a message from the charity or school that decorated it. They brought an air of peace and civility to the hustle of the people and the shimmering spectacle of the brightly colored lights.
The walkways also featured inflatable decorations, including a Hanukkah snowman with a yarmulke, candles and other holiday decorations. Attached to some trees were snow machines that allowed for a rare, magical experience for South Florida families who do not otherwise get to experience snow for the holidays.
“My favorite part, believe it or not, is the snow,” Cooper City resident Gretchen Pereyra said. “We [Pereyra and her daughter] come in from New York, and in this weather, we don’t get to experience it [snow]. It’s a little reminiscent of where we’re coming from.”
The event provided an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate the start of the holiday season. The event was both showy and peaceful, and highlighted various clubs, schools and local talent. Performances held by local youth groups and organizations, including the Cooper City Sound of Pride, were the center of entertainment for the event.
“Since I plan and run the event with the team council and march in the Sound of Pride parade, my favorite part about Light Up Cooper City is seeing the community come together and have fun,” sophomore Kirk Dourvetakis said.
But the real magic may have been in the eyes of the attendees, young and old, who came together to enjoy a night of community and family fun at the annual Light Up Cooper City event.
Local clubs and shops were able to set up their own fundraising booths at the event selling snacks and necessities, such as snow cones, empanadas, beverages and nachos. Cowboy Television (CTV) used the event to raise money for their end-of-the-year trip to their national competition, Student Television Network (STN).
“CTV set up a booth at Light Up Cooper City and sold nachos all night,” sophomore Ryan Lewis said. “We ended up selling out and I had a great time with friends. It was overall a success and we made a nice profit to go toward our STN trip.”
Arts and crafts booths were also commonplace. At one of the booths, the public could fashion artificial miniature snowmen using marshmallows for the body and head, candy for the face and buttons and pretzels for the arms. As a creative outlet for expressing joy or holiday spirit, it is a favorite at Light Up.
Two of the biggest attractions at Light Up Cooper City were the miniature holiday train that could be ridden by participants at the event, and, of course, the Santa Claus meet-and-greet.
But the real magic may have been in the eyes of the attendees, young and old, who came together to enjoy a night of community and family fun at the annual Light Up Cooper City event.
Disclaimer: Isabella Marcon is a member of Cowboy Television.
Photo by The Lariat photography
