As the holiday season approaches, there’s also the dreaded thought of replacing burned-out bulbs on strings of holiday lights. It can be a hassle for many folks.

Imagine changing a half-million light bulbs, Tacoma Zoolights’ latest figure.

It’s more manageable for Chris Mason and his co-workers at The Old Cannery in Sumner. They work with 10,000 lights for the community’s traditional day-after Thanksgiving “Light Up the Bridge” night.

Work on each year’s display begins in March, when strands of lights are stretched out on the warehouse floor and burned-out bulbs replaced. Then the strings are coiled and placed on pallets to get ready to hang each November.

By Nov. 8, the 40-foot-high 1927 bridge over the Stuck (White) River had been draped with lights. Mason said the distance from the top of the bridge to the water is about 50 feet.

Engineers often inspect the structure to ensure it’s structurally sound, Mason said.

The countdown to lighting is set for 5 p.m. Nov. 25, preceded local dignitaries’ speeches. Mason is the man who flips the switch, and a collective “aaahhh” echoes around the area.

Even though Mason has turned on the lights every year, he’s both awed and relieved when they work. He double-checks the lights twice on the day of the ceremony, but he admitted to being apprehensive.

“I can either be a hero or a goat,” Mason said.

Unfortunately, there’s often vandalism, as well as wind damage, but the crew keeps a close eye on their handiwork and makes necessary replacements.  

Earlier this month, Mason began to hang strings of lights on the town’s iconic bridge from the comfort of a cherry picker. Shortly before the big event, he and his crew will place garlands and bows on the bridge railings.

“It’s the Old Cannery’s gift to the town,” he said, adding that it’s nice that the city can “do stuff that a big city wouldn’t do.”

“So many places don’t do things anymore,” he said.

The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse also hosts the vendor fair, Santa’s fire truck and refreshments at its parking lot, and Heritage Bank will sponsor the eight-minute fireworks display.

“It’s visible as far away as Bonney Lake and Edgewood,” Mason said.

Between 3,000 and 5,000 spectators are expected to congregate at the bridge for the big light-up moment.

Nancy Covert is a freelance reporter for The Herald.