By Pat Conner
(Much of this article first appeared in the Courier as part of Lester "Budge" Ruffner's column on December 4, 1988.)
Back when Budge Ruffner was a boy, county work crews and a huge, freshly cut spruce from the Bradshaw Mountains could only mean one thing. It was time to erect the Christmas tree on the Prescott town square.
That was in the '20s. Ruffner and his friends gathered to watch the men use heavy equipment and guy wires to set up the 30- or 40-foot tree, which towered above the bronze of Rough Rider William "Buckey" O'Neill on the plaza.
On Santa Claus night, jolly old St. Nick would visit with children at the Christmas tree, decorated with emblems from community clubs and societies. Music was provided by the Salvation Army band consisting of a couple of coronets and a bass drum. During the Depression, Santa would give each child a red net bag containing an apple, an orange and some hard candy, recalled the 70-year old Ruffner, a writer and historian, as well as book reviewer for Arizona Highways.
In 1955, Sylvia Reuter started a simple tradition that evolved into a more elaborate production. Reuter had seen a courthouse lighting ceremony at the Denver Civic Center and encouraged a similar ceremony at the Yavapai County Courthouse. Prescott residents supported the idea.
The first year, only the west side of the courthouse was lighted. By the fourth year, all sides were garnished with colorful lights.
"The people of Prescott cannot imagine Christmas without the courthouse lighting," Kathy Sischka, 1988 chair of the Prescott Chamber of Commerce courthouse lighting says. "Having a square that was dark at Christmas, having a void there, was something that none one wanted to face. That's why people rallied."
But one does not need to be a Prescott resident to appreciate the old-fashioned feeling associated with the lighting ceremony and parade.
"For many, it's a return to the nostalgia of their childhood",Ruffner says. "Maybe they have come from Spirit Lake, Iowa, or live in a place like Phoenix, with all it problems, all its crime, all its lack of identity, and they want to remember the rock candy and the orange and the red net bag.
"They want some of that nostalgia. They can't get it at [the store]. So, that's why they come here. It's kind of like going back to Walden Pond. It's returning to the values and the scenes of their youth."
If you cannot find something to do on December 6th this year, you are not looking hard enough. There will be a Jingle Bell run/walk that morning, the Christmas Parade at 1 p.m. (Governor Janet Napolitino will be grand marshal), and the courthouse lighting at 6 p.m. After the lighting, mosey over to Sharlot Hall Museum for frontier Christmas open house where you can see how Christmas was celebrated in Prescott in 1865 from 6-8 p.m. Then cap off your busy day with a concert of Yavapai College Symphonic and Jazz Bands at Prescott'sYavapai College Performance Hall at 7:30 p.m.
(Pat Conner was a journalist for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson.)
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(pb051f1a1)
Reuse only by permission.
December 1958 was just as busy in Arizona's Christmas city as December will be this year. All of the events coming on December 6th alone will fill you up like this child shown on the right taking a bite out of the calendar. This photograph is part of the Courier Collection at the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives.
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(pb051f3bi2)
Reuse only by permission.
By Christmas of 1960, all four sides of the Courthouse were decorated with thousands of lights. This photo, too, is from the Courier Collection.