ROXANA - The Village of Roxana Street Department will once again light up the town for the holiday season. But this year, the lights will turn on early to celebrate the Roxana High School Shells football team.
The Village of Roxana will turn on their Christmas lights on Friday night, Nov. 17, 2023, to prepare for the Shells’ playoff game at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, at Roxana High School.
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“Everybody around here is stoked. Football is the word on the street,” said Ken Hoxsey, Roxana Street Superintendent. “This year, in honor of our football team that’s doing so well, we are going to light them early. We’re actually going to light them Friday night and have them on for the football game here in town, the playoff game. We’re hoping that as people come to and from the game, they get to enjoy those [lights].”
Hoxsey explained that lights will be hung along Highway 111, which runs through Roxana, to Roxana Park. Hubbard Memorial Park will also be lit, as well as Village Hall at 310 N. Central Avenue.
The Street Department has been hanging lights throughout town since late October. They usually don’t turn on the lights until after Thanksgiving, but they made an exception this year to celebrate the Shells’ success.
“Coming down 111, we create a kind of tunnel effect throughout town, and people really enjoy getting out and seeing it,” Hoxsey said. “We’ve been doing it ever since I started about 16 years ago. We’ve been doing it for decades before that, and it’s kind of a tradition here in Roxana.”
Hoxsey described the lights as an “outreach” effort to build community while honoring that tradition. He hopes more community members will be able to enjoy the lights this year as they come into town to watch the playoff game.
“Our residents really respond to it positively,” he added. “It’s something they really enjoy and we enjoy doing that for them and the whole area. It’s just something we like doing for them, and tradition is probably one of the biggest reasons that we continue.”
RiverBender.com and Big Z Media will stream the Roxana playoff football game on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Read this article on RiverBender.com for more information about how to watch the football game broadcast.
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