Just in time for a Victorian Holiday, Redevelopment Agency extends lighting over Pascoag

BURRILLVILLE – An effort to light up Burrillville’s villages took another step forward last week, with the extension of the permanent light display over Pascoag onto High Street.

The lights, just one element of a decades-long effort to bring energy and life to the villages, were first installed three years ago. Twinkling strings also hang above the neighboring village of Harrisville, with colors changed often in celebration of holidays, or to honor local events, such as Burrillville Little League’s trip to the regional championship this year.

Before last week, the criss-crossing lights over Pascoag covered just a portion of Pascoag Main Street, ending in front of George’s Pizza.

But for the first time last Thursday, Nov. 20, the strings could be seen zigzagging across Fountain Square Park up High Street, crossing the Pascoag River.

“It’s terrific,” said Burrillville Redevelopment Chairman Jim Langlois. “It looks good.”

The weather proof, professional grade, remote control, year round decorations were purchased with funding in the agency’s budget from Graybar Electric in Cranston. Clear River Water & Electric District has worked with the agency on installation, a complex effort aimed at ensuring the permanent feature will never sag or stretch. Offering volunteer labor and expertise, CREW first installed tension cables designed for stability to secure the strings.

It can be a technical process, and Langlois noted the 400-foot extension was delayed by technical issues, and didn’t go quite as far as the agency initially planned.

“We were hoping to make it all the way to Church Street,” he said.

Similar complications have held up efforts to extend the lights in Harrisville up East Avenue to the Assembly Theatre, but Langlois noted they are still working on the improvement.

And just as the new section of Pascoag was added to the village’s lighted downtown zone, staff with Burrillville Department of Works was busy putting up a unique holiday feature secured by the agency three years ago: a giant, lighted gift box at Fountain Square.

In Harrisville, DPW staff put up another light-up holiday installation featuring a shimmering arch with a bright reindeer. That Tinkham Lane display has been relocated in 2025, from the south side of the pavilion to the east, in line with the entrance to Jesse Smith Library.

“It looked really nice sitting there but we had a wind problem,” said Langlois of the previous location, noting in the new space the outdoor bathrooms block the reindeer from the elements.

It’s all part of the effort to create two walkable village centers in Burrillville with increasing charm. The Redevelopment Agency recently celebrated the opening of a 96-foot-long aluminum bridge connecting the Pascoag Riverwalk to the new High Street Park. At events like the Victorian Holiday scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29, village visitors will have plenty to see as they explore the area, with walkways and small parks – all work of the agency – leading to a number of successful village businesses, from Bravo Brewery and Elayna’s, to Thai Wok Street Food and Cow’s Tail Deli.

The added lighting, it seems, is like a bow on top of what’s become a quaint village attraction.

“You can see it from the new bridge,” Langlois said of the feature.

See the latest improvement as the town kicks off the Christmas season with a jeep and firetruck light parade carrying Santa on Saturday, starting at 3 p.m. at Burrillville Middle School and leading into Pascoag by the Bridgeway for the Victorian Holiday. The event will include vendors, food trucks, shopping and more, and runs until 6 p.m.