The initial sign-up deadline for the annual “Light Up the Pines,” outdoor display event is Friday Dec. 6, which assures the option for inclusion in the Holiday Parade of Homes map8

By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Nov. 28, 2019) While not competition-driven this season, the “Light Up the Pines,” outdoor display event has opened for registration, with the initial deadline for participation set for Dec. 6.

For the third straight year, Choptank Electric Cooperative is sponsoring the illuminating event and is providing gift baskets for the first 20 households to sign up.

Choptank Marketing and Communications Manager Beth Hallett at the Denton headquarters office said the intent is to foster goodwill over the Christmas season.

“Ocean Pines is served by Choptank Electric and to give back to all of our members down there, as a happy holiday theme, we decided again to support the ‘Light Up the Pines,’ event,” she said.

Unlike customers of traditional utility providers, consumers who receive electricity from Choptank are members of a cooperative, Hallett said.

“We have members, they are people who purchase energy from us and they have stock in the company, essentially,” she said.

Homeowners taking part in the holiday festivity are encouraged to sign up for the “Ocean Pines Holiday Parade of Homes,” which provides an online Google map to locate the address of displays.

“It’s a scatter of members who participate,” she said. “It’s easier if it’s a self-guided portion.”

To encourage wider participation, the competition element of the holiday lighting event has been abandoned this go-round.

“In previous years, it has been a competition but this year they made it an event instead,” she said.

Arguably, all are winners this year, as participants will be rewarded with Choptank-branded gift baskets.

“We delivered them to Ocean Pines and they will hand them out as people come into the office to sign up,” she said.

Included items are LED light bulbs, drawstring backpack, glass cutting board, 2020 calendar, Farmer’s Almanac, ice scraper, sunglasses, flashlight, multi-tool and energy efficiency pamphlets.

Households wanting to participate should email their name, address and phone number to info@oceanpines.org or call 410-641-7717.

Anyone registering after the Dec. 6 initial deadline can still be included on the Holiday Parade of Homes map, which be updated throughout December.

The map of participating homes may be viewed at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sAvmTC7hgxb0iXW21_83hrGxRDM3Nb8h&usp=sharing