Christmas lights at Shawver Park End

After weeks of controversy, the Christmas lights at Shawver park went dark – four days before Christmas.

The City’s Parks and Recreation Department announced the final music performance was Friday December 20th..

Then the light displays will be pulled down on Saturday.

Tracy Novak, the new Parks and Rec director, told ABC-7 the City always planned for the displays to be removed before Christmas.

Novak said City Rep. Eddie Holguin wanted the display up the day after Thanksgiving. But the $25,000 budget meant it would only stay up for three weeks.

“To extend the displays any longer than the 21st would have increased our cost. And so that is why we cut off the date accordingly,” Novak said. He added that it would have only cost $1,800 more to extend it to Dec. 27.