Lighting of the Lawn

Preparations for the eighth annual Lighting of the Lawn are under way. On the evening of December 4, 2008, strings of lights along the Pavilions and Rotunda will suddenly illuminate. The Lawn will be lit as part of a ceremony which will include speeches by University community leaders and students. Singing groups will also perform, and light refreshments will be distributed along the colonnades.

This year, the hundreds of lights along the Lawn will be LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights for the first time. Although these lights are more expensive, UVA is thinking of them as an investment, as they save energy and are less likely to burn out.

Also for the first time, the lights will be spiraled around the columns instead of draped straight down. This requires more work by the Grounds crew. GFC encountered facilities staff starting the work on Pavilion II. They've got a lot of work ahead of them-- they're going to be stringing almost a mile of lights.

Photo by GFC, 2008.11.19