Our
Story
Light Up Middletown began in 1999 when retired Middletown High School secretary, Florella Randall took it upon herself to bring more holiday lights to Middletown. With encouragement from friends and civic leaders she formed the first Board of Directors and, through donations, worked hard to present the first L.U.M. event consisting of seven displays. As the money and sponsorships grew so did the work.
Enter Barney Strassburger, who quickly became the site manager andbrought together a strong group of retired men to do the bulk of the work. Thus,was born the “Grandpa Gang.” The Grandpa’s are truly the backbone of Light Up Middletown.
In recent years, volunteers from Cleveland Cliffs have helped with putting up the larger displays. Their assistance is a tremendous help to the grandpas. Numerous businesses, civic groups and hundreds of volunteers have supported Light Up and come together to welcome over one million visitors.
With donations received and support of our business sponsors, Light Up has upgraded the electric and recently worked with the City and MYSA and the Ohio Challenge to repave the roads in Smith Park. We support organizations such as Middie Way Baseball, Women enriching lives, Wreaths Across America, and recently purchased escape ladders for all Middletown School rooms.
Flo passed away in 2023, but now 26 years later, her dream to provide a donation only, volunteer driven, family event continues. We thank you for your continued support and hope our efforts will put a special memory into your holiday season.
Middletown Community News Saturday, January 5, 2008 1:22:27 PM - Middletown Ohio
The Grandpa Gang in Middletown by John Beagle and Ann Mort
The Grandpa gang is a group of mostly-retired men from Middletown. There not really a gang, but they do work together as a team.
Mainly the Grandpa Gang was formed to help with Light Up Middletown. They setup and dismantle all the lights and displays. They power up and verify all the lights come on. And they repair and maintain Light Up Middletown throughout the entire event.
Light Up Middletown runs from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.
Ann Mort explains about the Grandpa Gang:
"There are about 20 of them who work throughout November setting up the displays, then take turns during the season to maintain, repair, turn on and turn off each day. In January, they dismantle and store the displays. They do some maintenance during the year - checking light strings, etc.
Several of the local restaurants realize the value of LUM to their bottom line as people go out for dinner and then visit the display. So, restaurant managers donate food coupons to the Grandpas to eat lunch at their place while they work.
Grandpas range in age from Bill Beck who is 50+ to some well into their 80s.
Other organizations try to lure them into their construction teams but with little success. Given the age and length of LUM, most do only this one event. Several (such as Barney Strassburger, site manager, and Dick Mort have a long history of helping set up All American Weekend. Bill Becker has a long history with Fenwick Festival."
