Lighting Up Lake Lure

If you were unable to attend the Lighting Up Lake Lure event on December 14th, take a moment to review the coverage from WYFF TV – Channel 4: https://www.wyff4.com/article/lake-lure-christmas-hurricane-helene-north-carolina/63098580

LAKE LURE, N.C. —

The Lake Lure community is stepping into the holiday season, two months after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina as the town hosted its annual Christmas lighting.

An old tradition took on new meaning in Lake Lure as the community gathered for their annual Christmas lighting, reflecting on Helene.

"I said, this year of all years is the year we need to have to let people know that things go on and that we do the same things," said Lake Lure Mayor Carol Pritchett.

Patrick Warncke said the last two months have been full of recovery and resilience.

"You could hear the boulders move in the water and, just across the river, they had built probably a dozen homes over the last three years, and those homes started dropping off in the river, and that was like, you know, seeing a movie," he said in the weeks following Helene. "We've done a little bit of everything. I've been in a skid steer clearing the roads, I've been running chainsaws. There were times at first we were putting people in helicopters, and it was crazy."

On Wednesday night, the community had a welcomed distraction. Children sang, apple cider was poured, and the night ended with a candle lighting.

"The spirit of the people, everybody is gung ho about let's get this done, they're staying upbeat, being positive, and now we're starting to get more and more support," Warncke said.