Jennie Runevitch/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - The holiday lights are still out on Monument Circle. Strong storms Friday knocked out more than a dozen strands. Crews hope to repair the Circle of Lights Tuesday.
In the meantime, visitors are missing out on tradition.
The symbol of the season for the past 44 holidays in Indianapolis remains dark on the Circle. Many of the more than 4,700 lights were taken out by a storm, leaving colored glass littered at the base of the monument.
"The winds the way they were, hard to make that call, but it was unfortunate for the citizens of Indianapolis," said Kevin Marshall, IBEW Local 481.
"We were going to come down here, make a circle and enjoy the lights and unfortunately I understand the lights are out," said Kathy Hoagland, Fort Wayne.
"People come to see this. They expect it and so forth," said David Rasnick, Plainfield.
"I hope they get it fixed because we were going to bring our kids down here so we can see the lights," said Willie Neal, Indianapolis.
Friday's strong winds damaged 15 of the 52 strands that make up the Monument's Circle of Lights, most on the north side.
"There's quite a few that are out," said Kevin Marshall.
The hundreds of volunteers with IBEW Local 481 have to re-light what was lost. Since these aren't ordinary bulbs, they made a special order for replacements from a new manufacturer. They should arrive Tuesday morning.
"We're going to lower it from the top, take it all the way down, check the entire strand from top to bottom; about 215 feet for each one, 90 bulbs on each one, so to know how many are out, we're going to check and make sure it's as safe as possible for the City of Indianapolis," said Marshall.
"We'll be down here many more times before Christmas is over if you guys get new lights in," said Kathy Hoagland.
