BALTIMORE — Do you remember the Edmondson Village holiday lights?
Organizers are trying to bring that holiday cheer back to the Edmondson Village Shopping Center, which lost that tradition years ago.
At the Edmondson Village Shopping Center in West Baltimore, on a chilly December Friday night, families enjoyed a holiday party, featuring the big tree, hot food, hot cocoa, and photos with Santa.
The party was put together, in part by Baltimore City Councliman Kristerfer Burnett's office, and by 'Chicago TREND' - the shopping center's new owner.
READ MORE: Baltimore officials celebrate the purchase of Edmondson Village Shopping Center
"We are trying to restore the culture of the Edmondson Village Shopping Center," Burnett told WMAR, "And one of the things that we learned talking to longtime residents was one of the biggest draws of the '60s '70s and '80s was the Christmas lights, and people really look forward to that."
"This was a draw for the entire city," Burnett continued, "People came from all over to the Edmondson Village Shopping Center - but when you also have community investment, that means we’re building generational wealth in a community that long experienced disinvestment."
Organizers want folks to feel good again about the shopping center, which is scheduled to undergo a facelift in the next few years.
"To see the village come back to life is a treat," said Lashelle Bynum, an Edmondson Village resident taking photos of the holiday fun. "I mean, just seeing the lamp poles lit, brings back a memory for me. I've been here since the sixties."
"To me this gives me hope for the new beginning that I see coming, and as far as me taking photos, this is home for me, so I want to capture home," Bynum added.
