Love the New Decorations? Thank Nina Jackson
“Honestly, I don’t think [Mayor] Michael thought we could do it. But these ladies worked so hard to get this done,” Jackson said.
The work was difficult.
“I had no idea how expensive decorations are. One candy cane is $375. The face of a snowman is $1100. We knew we had our work cut out for us.”
In raising funds, Jackson learned again what it meant to live in a small town: Everyone is willing to help when the cause is right. Jackson and her group raised $40,000 for decorations in a span of six months and purchased decorations for all 86 poles on Madison Ave. They worked with many local businesses, such as Teri’s Route 66 Diner and Nick’s Bar and Grill, to set up taco sales, trivia, silent auctions, bingo, and more. Jackson even had a yard sale at her house that raised $1100.
“I have to give a special shout out to the Fraternal Order of Eagles Auxiliary. They are allowed to give $4999 to organizations without permission from higher ups. So they gave us a check for that exact amount and then let us have bingo there where we raised another $5600,” she said.
The group purchased stockings, snowmen, trees, and more to line Madison Ave. When the old wood poles were replaced with cement, electricity was not installed. Ameren needs to approve any electrical work on the poles so it will take until next year for them to light up. But the group planned for this and bought decorations that look good in the day and the night. The finishing touch was a gift from Jackson and her husband to the city. They purchased a light up “Happy Holidays” sign that is the first thing seen when coming south into Granite City on Nameoki Rd.
“This is a prime example of the community and government working together to better our city,” said Mayor Parkinson, “I hope we have more projects like this in the future.”
Jackson is overwhelmed by the compliments and the excitement the decorations have brought to the community. She thinks the decorations bring back some of the Christmas spirit of a small town. She has also been asked repeatedly when they are going to bring decorations to Nameoki Rd. “Madison Ave was the main road when I was growing up, so I wanted to do that first. But Nameoki is in the works,” Jackson said, “It’s a state road, so we’ll need special permission from the state. It will be even more difficult. But one thing I know is that the community of Granite City is capable of anything.”