The Milpas Community Association is delighted to announce the return of the holiday streetlights to Milpas Street. They are being installed right now.

In prior years, one community benefactor put up the holiday lights, from the top of Milpas down to the freeway, as his gift to the community. He was unable to do so in the past few years, leaving Milpas bereft of holiday lights.

This year, Santos Guzman, of El Bajio, wanted to see the lights back up. He had a dream that Milpas would be lit again for the holidays, so he contacted the Milpas Community Association.

A small team gathered in his restaurant on a dark Monday evening, talked it over and committed to making that dream happen. It was a daunting task, as the MCA reaches out to the community to raise donations to pay for the Milpas holiday parade at this time of year. To raise funds for both, and with the lights coming in at almost $9,000 — well, it looked a bit overwhelming, to say the least.

But the community rallied and enthusiastically supported returning the holiday lights to Milpas Street. Everyone agreed that the community deserved to be lit up for the holidays. Businesses, community organizations, schools and the parade’s grand marshal, county Supervisor Salud Carbajal, all pitched in to make this happen.

The lights will be lit this Wednesday evening, Nov. 27, achieved in under three weeks from the date Santos gathered us together. For the first time, the lights will extend below the freeway, making Milpas truly festive for the holidays.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, this year we can provide both the holiday lights and parade, giving our neighborhood a great reason to celebrate.

We’re excited to see the return of the lights, and welcome everyone to enjoy a lit-up Milpas Street during this holiday season! We also invite you and your family to come and enjoy the 59th Annual Milpas Holiday Parade at 11 a.m. Dec. 15.

We’d like to thank the following Community Angels for creating this “Miracle on Milpas Street”:

Rabobank
El Bajio
Marborg
Milpas Rentals
Tri-County Produce
Casa Esperanza
Capitol Hardware
McDonald’s
El Potrillo Men’s Wear
Giffin and Crane
Olga’s Hair Salon
Taqueria La Colmena
Boost. Page, Plus
Franklin Elementary School PTA
Los Agaves
Allen Associates
Livingreen
County Supervisor and Milpas Holiday Parade Grand Marshal Salud Carbajal
Santa Barbara Plumbing Supplies
Specialty Plumbing
Taco Bell
The Habit
Casa De La Raza
Crown Liquor
Joyeria Latina
Super-Rica
Aggressive Soccer
Alpha Thrift
Pat’s Liquors
AC Ramirez
Airtrix
Alexander Tang, DDS
Allen and Joyce Anderson
Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara
Casa Realty
Central Machine BLDG
Centro Musical
Cesar’s Place
Coastal Advance
Denny Bacon
Dunlop Tires
Ericson Woolf Dental
Fermie’s A1 Autos
House of Laundry
Los Amigos Café
Vince Wood, Central Machine
Mama Lu’s
Mi Fiesta Liquor
Milpas Communications
Omar’s Travel
Sal’s Pizza
Sam’s To Go
Santa Barbara Bikes
Santa Barbara Sentinel
Quality Windows
Altamirano’s
Barato Bargain
Becker Studio
Botanica Divina Fe
Clause Construction
Extreme Soccer
Kennedy’s Automotive
KFC
Latino’s Ins
Lucy’s Boutique
Lupita’s
Make It Wireless
Milpas Laundry
Monarch Office Services
Shang Hai
Speedy Mart
Steven Handelman Studios
Superior Brake and Alignment
South County Energy Efficiency Partnership (SCEEP)*
Torresanto Insuarance
Your Place
La Tapatia Bakery
Los Amigos Barber Shop
Ivy Salon
Vera’s Salon

— Sharon Byrne is executive director of the Milpas Community Association.