A holiday tradition for some members of IBEW Local 48 is volunteering to help wire and power all of the lights — 500,000 of them — at The Grotto’s Festival of Lights.
Local 48 members and their employers at the National Electrical Contractors Association have been helping with the event since 1988.
“The festival wouldn’t happen without NECA/IBEW Local 48, “ said Peter Mott, festival coordinator. “We love their can-do attitude and how they dive in and get the job done. Every year 40 NECA/IBEW Local 48 volunteers make sure that 2400 amps of power are connected safely.”
The Grotto’s festival is open from 5 to 9:30 p.m. nightly (except for Christmas) through Monday, Dec. 30. General admission is $9, seniors (65 and over), $8, and children 3 to 12 years of age) is $4.
“It’s a lot of fun volunteering to help at The Grotto. You get to see good people you haven’t seen in a year,” said Steve Martell, a retired Local 48 member. “For those of us who have volunteered for a long time, we each have our area that we know pretty well and work on.”
During this year’s 31-night run, 150 concerts will be presented — five concerts each night in The Grotto’s 600-seat chapel.
The Grotto is located at 8840 NE Skidmore St., Portland.
