Stealing the Fantasy of Lights

Thieves won't pull plug on holiday fundraiser

When thieves stole thousands of feet of electrical cable Monday night, they didn't steal the heart of the annual Fantasy of Lights fundraiser in New Haven.

Volunteer electricians were at Lighthouse Point Park Wednesday installing new cables, determined to rewire the holiday lights.

"I mean here we are we're doing this all, all the volunteer work that's done to this, and somebody comes out and steals all this wire? It stinks," said Wayne Thaller, a member of the IBEW, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Easter Seals Goodwill collects ten dollars a carload for the display, set to open to the public next Friday, Nov. 21.

The union was arranging for replacement cables and preparing to work into the night to beat the expected rain.

"Yeah we were fortunate," said Paul Costello of the IBEW. "Edmor Electric, one of our local contractors, just put in a call to me. They're gonna be delivering about four hundred feet of cable to us shortly and that will replace the feeder that was destroyed."

Easter Seals leaders say up to 15,500 vehicles visit the display each year.  The money it will use to pay for security will have to come out of the charity's profits, they say.

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