Q&A on the News
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
Q: Could you find out why Tucker has (apparently) discontinued the tradition of decorating various utility poles, etc., for the holidays? We have noticed they have been dwindling over the past two years, and now there are none this year.
— Betty Ballinger, Tucker
A: The Christmas decorations in Tucker were not abandoned but were "scaled back a bit" this year, Burke Brennan, the president of the Tucker Business Association (Tuckerbiz.org), told Q&A on the News. He said the association is responsible for Christmas decorations in the unincorporated community, and that it's slowly replacing worn-out lights and decorations with new wreaths with LED lights. Brennan said both sides of Main Street are decorated. "We've had lots of different lights extend beyond Main Street (such as LaVista Road or Lawrenceville Highway) in the past, but this is wholly subsidized by the Tucker Business Association," Brennan said. "The lights are $350 a pop, and we could not at this time replace all of them at once. Tucker is not, and has not been, without lights entirely." He said the association relies on volunteers with the proper equipment, such as "cherry pickers," to donate their time to hang Christmas decorations, which go up on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and are taken down on the Saturday after New Year's Day. Brennan said philanthropic groups are responsible for decorating and planning for different holiday events in Tucker.
