Officers and members of the Feasterville Business Association are joining with community leaders, government officials, clergy and residents for the FBA’s 22nd annual Project Blue Light Holiday Tree Lighting, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Lower Southampton Township Library, 1983 Bridgetown Pike in Feasterville.
The event pays tribute to the memory of fallen police officers during the holiday period.
Project Blue Light was started in 1989 by Dolly Craig to honor the memory of her late son-in-law, Philadelphia police officer Daniel Gleason, killed in the line of duty in 1986. Craig informed Concerns Of Police Survivors that she would be placing two blue lights in her window during the holiday season — one in memory of Gleason and one remembering his wife Pam, who was killed in an automobile accident in 1988.
Craig is now deceased, but her idea is her legacy. Project Blue Light has grown into a national program and burns bright in the hearts of 10,000 surviving families of officers killed in the line of duty as they rebuild their lives.
This year’s FBA tree lighting is going “green,” using energy-efficient LED blue lights. Once lit, the tree will shine every night during the holiday season.
Rev. Michael J. Davis, pastor of the Assumption BVM Catholic Church in Feasterville, will offer a special memorial invocation and blessing. The ceremony will conclude with the singing of holiday songs. Other participants will include Ted Krimmel, Lower Southampton Township chief of police; Ron Hyman, president of the FBA; Michael J. Hughes, event chairperson and program emcee; state Rep. Frank Farry; township supervisors Ray Weldie, Steve Castle and Deborah Kaplan; retired chief of police William F. Wiegman Jr.; township manager Joseph Galdo; FBA vice president Mike Lesher; and a group of first responders. The Lower Southampton police honor guard will also participate.
