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| The Easton Peace Candle, moments after it was lit for the first time for the holiday season at last year's lighting event. |
The title, however, also comes with responsibilities, noted the Easton Main Street Initiative in a media release about the auction.
The high bidder must be present and attend the Santa Parade, which has been extended over last year's route and begins at 7 p.m. The Illuminator will also carry "The Official Match", an apparently new feature of the event. The Illuminator will then pull the switch to light the Peace Candle during the lighting ceremony at 8 p.m.
The auction, which began quietly on Friday, had already received 22 bids from five Illuminator hopefuls by Monday afternoon, with $200 needed to top the list. Proceeds from the auction will help offset Peace Candle lighting ceremony event expenses.
The privilege was won last year for a high bid of $280 by Tom Sestak, who chose to bequeath the honor on his girlfriend, Cindy Lytle, who pulled the switch in front of a cheering crowd with three friends close at hand.
In 2011, bidding topped out at $400, and the privilege was granted to Mary Elizabeth Soffera of Williams Township, a young fund raiser and big fan of the Peace Candle, after her grandfather, Ed Dietrich, won the auction and bestowed the honor upon her.
The Peace Candle Lighting ceremony and Holiday Open House event will be held the day after Thanksgiving, on Friday, November 29 from 5 to 9 p.m. Many Downtown retailers will be open late that evening, and the city has decreed that curbside metered parking that day is free.
Activities in addition to the parade and lighting ceremony are planned to ice sculpting demonstrations, a craft show, kids' activities, live music, and horse-drawn carriage rides for a fee.
To view the auction or bid on the title of "The Official 2013 Illuminator", click here.
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