SPRINGDALE — Budget cuts won't end the city's Christmas lights display.

A group of residents, working on creating interest in downtown, came up with the idea of setting up the city's light displays in locations throughout the city. The usual city holiday light display in Murphy Park fell victim to budget cuts.

Relocating the lights came up during a meeting of the Re-Discover Downtown Committee, according to Alderwoman Kathy Jaycox. The committee is trying to revitalize Springdale's downtown.

"Wrapping the trees in the park is very labor intensive," Jaycox said. "We thought we could move the displays to other places in the city and draw some attention to downtown at a low cost."

The city acquired several lighted displays, including gingerbread men, sleighs and hot-air balloons, for previous seasons. The group looked for new locations, on public property and at some private businesses, said Rose Lawrence, the mayor's administrative assistant. Lawrence played a big role in previous years' lighting displays.

"We'll have some places with lights that have never had them before," Lawrence said.

The locations include the Springdale School's Early Childhood Center, near the corner of Thompson Street and Huntsville Avenue, The Oddfellows building, and the corner of Spring Street and Huntsville Avenue.

Other locations include Luther George Grove Street Park, the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad depot, the Arts Center of the Ozarks, the Chamber of Commerce building and the park at the intersection of Emma Avenue and Thompson Street.

The landscaped islands along Emma Avenue also will have shaped lights, such as deer or candy canes.

Murphy Park will still have some lights, Lawrence said, on the island in the pond and near the Springdale Public Library.

Some of the trees in the park which have held lights in the past were severely damaged by January's ice storm, said Mayor Doug Sprouse.

"I'm glad some folks cared enough to step up and help out," Sprouse said.

The cost of the electricity to power the displays will be paid by the businesses where they are located, Jaycox said.

Plans call for the displays to be on by Nov. 20, Lawrence said. That would allow any nonworking displays to be fixed by the Christmas parade at 6 p.m. Nov. 29, Lawrence said.

"Christmas is still alive in Springdale," Jaycox said. "We didn't turn into Scrooge."

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