The Lake District is inviting the public to an event called “Light Up The District” which will be held on Monday, November 29, 2021, at 5 pm. The event will commemorate the first time the 70 foot tall Lake District monument sign will be lit so it can be seen at night.
“This is a historical event,” said The Lake District developer Yehuda Netanel. A native of Israel, Mr. Netanel said the lighting of the monument sign falling on the 2nd date of Hanukkah parallel’s the development’s path to success. “Much like the Hanukkah miracle, we’ve experienced our own small miracle to get to this point so we can have our own lighting,” he said.
Maureen Yarborough of Sign Matters, Inc. whose company was hired for the monument sign design and construction, has been asked to officially light the sign. “I am truly honored and humbled that Yehuda asked me to do the lighting for this incredible sign,” Ms. Yarborough said. She continued saying, “When I met Yehuda Netanel and Maggie Gallagher several years ago, I had no idea what this relationship would turn out to be. They weren’t sure if anyone locally could take what their vision was for The Lake District and design the sign package to meet their dreams. I wasn’t sure either, but I’ve loved being part of this project and getting to be part of the team that has made it happen.”
Ms. Yarborough confirmed the project had to overcome serious challenges to make it a reality. “I have been part of many, many projects over my 20 year career in this industry. What was unique was the opposition that we faced at times. I have always tried to make the signage package enhance whatever project I’ve been involved with. There is a balance between getting the signage to reflect the uniqueness of any development and meeting local sign ordinances. Fortunately, we had a group that was willing to fight to make this truly something special,” she said.
Described as both a piece of art and a sculpture by Ms. Yarborough, there is a 10-foot diameter rotating Lake District logo at the top which is backlit. “It is nothing short of spectacular. It’s both eloquent and complex.” Ms. Yarborough said. The sign has RGB LED lighting which gives the ability to change colors to match seasons or to change them to pink in October for Breast Cancer awareness month as an example. Twenty-five yards of concrete were used to set the pole in the ground, and it took nearly 10,000 pounds of steel for the structure. Ms. Yarborough also said it took nearly 8 weeks of constant welding to make this sign become a reality. “As we were designing the sign and working with fabricators, some said it couldn’t be done. Thankfully, my long relationship with Jeff Balton at Balton Signs helped me talk through all of the obstacles that might come up and find solutions that would keep the elegance of the sign while making it possible to produce,” she said.
Director of Development for The Lake District, Maggie Gallagher, said she looks forward to seeing everyone at the lighting ceremony and hopes that it can become a tradition that moves forward every year with a Holiday lighting ceremony for the public. “We hope to make this some kind of annual event. So please come out so you can say you attended the first one,” Ms. Gallagher said.
