Around 100 volunteers with IBEW Local 48 gathered at the Grotto on Saturday, Oct. 19, to complete electrical work for the annual Christmas Festival of Lights display. Turnout was double last year and possibly the highest ever, IBEW 48 Membership Development Representative Steve Hussey said.
Known as the Grotto, the Roman Catholic National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother is celebrating its 100th year. For nearly 40 years, IBEW Local 48 members have done the electrical work for the holiday lights display at the 62-acre shrine in Portland.
The annual volunteer day helps union members bond and shows the greater public how the union helps the community, Hussey said.
“It’s not all strikes and pickets and bad news. It’s community engagement and membership engagement,” Hussey said.
Volunteers included journeymen, apprentices, materials handlers, and people who are working to join the apprenticeship program. IBEW volunteers did the electrical work for Portland Productions, which handles the event lighting.
The event is a valuable experience for electricians who typically work with different equipment or don’t get to work alongside fellow electricians, Hussey said.
IBEW Local 48 staff work on the project, but it’s the returning union members who have kept the tradition alive for decades.
Retiree Steve Martell has been heading up the event since the 1980s. Dan Rhein with Christenson Electric helps keep the equipment maintained over years of use in the damp, cold Grotto.
“The long-term success is completely due to that core group of members that continue to show up,” Hussey said.
The festival of lights runs evenings from Nov. 29 through Dec. 30 (excluding Christmas day), with visitors walking through the outdoor light display and stopping to watch puppet shows, outdoor caroling, and choirs performing in the chapel.
