Now some random facts about the star:
1) The star was built in 1949 to kick off the Christmas season shopping.
2) Initially the star was illuminated in all white but would later change to red to indicate a traffic fatality for that day.
3) After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the star was kept in a red, white, and blue configuration for nearly six years, until April 2007.
4) On April 17, 2007, the star had to be turned off because one of the power lines had been heavily damaged by a tree. When the star was relit on April 22, 2007, officials changed the color configuration to all-white "as a symbol of hope" after the Virginia Tech massacre.
5) See the view from the Star Cam HERE
Now it's your turn! Post 5 random things, link up to Willy Nilly and visit other participants!! Have a great weekend :)
Fascinating info, and what a spectacular looking star!
ReplyDeleteAnother item for my ever growing bucket list. Thanks for sharing! Tom The Backroads Traveller
ReplyDeleteI could see the star from my bedroom window in the winter when leaves were off the trees in our neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
My computer hiccuped so I have 2 links. :( Love the star and enjoyed reading about the colors. Beautiful view from the cam!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays, early.
ReplyDeleteWe love the star. Always such a great Roanoke landmark.
ReplyDeletewow. what a neat symbol.
ReplyDeleteQuite a 'colourful' history Tanya, I like the white for hope best, these days it's becoming more important than ever.
ReplyDeleteWell captured this beautiful star, beautiful picture!!
ReplyDeleteSo strange and so funny: I like it!
ReplyDeleteNice shot! We don't have anything like it here, though Montreal has a cross up on Mont-Royal.
ReplyDeleteTanya, it is a wonderful image, and the information you provide shows that the star is used very well. Love it.
ReplyDeleteLove this wonderful star and all it has represented over the years. I hope they never take it down or shut it off permanently! What a great Willy Nilly post!
ReplyDeleteWe LOVE the star! It sits above Roanoke like a....well, a shining star! I know there is a zoo up near there...Mill Mountain Zoo? Thing is, I am afraid of heights and small winding mountain roads. I called them once to ask them, but they probably thought I was crazy. You have probably been there, can you tell me about the trip and if it is worth it?
ReplyDeletethey are two stars on this blog
ReplyDeleteFascinating story. Now I wonder if I could borrow it for Christmas?
ReplyDelete(Bergson is being very...ummm... you know! :-))
It was very interesting to learn the history of this star. I think it's pretty cool looking.
ReplyDeleteAwesome star. I imagine it's beautiful no matter what color lights are on, but I'd love to have seen it with the red, white and blue lights!
ReplyDeleteIt must look great all lit up.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool! I like how they can change the light color to signify certain events.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that history. And thanks for web cam link... it's very cool.
ReplyDeleteI've seen the star from afar but I didn't know about the colored lights.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting facts indeed!
ReplyDeleteThe star sure has a long history! Fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI certainly learned a lot about the star today. I think it's a neat idea and I'd love to see it during the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteThat star seems to have endured the decades well, and been put to a lot of symbolic uses! Makes for a great photo against the sky (and probably a pretty good perch for the birds, too!) :-)
ReplyDelete