Clinton light tunnel attracts visitors, wedding photo sessions in first weeks

BY DENNY SCOTT

Central Huron’s Tunnel of Lights, located beside the community’s town hall in Clinton, has garnered a lot of attention, despite starting up less than a month ago, according to Community Improvement Co-ordinator Angela Smith.

In an interview with The Citizen, Smith said the tunnel, which was inspired by a similar structure in Toronto’s distillery district, was officially opened on New Year’s Eve and has already drawn an engagement, several wedding photography sessions and numerous repeat visitors from both locals and visitors.

“I came up with ideas of what I’d like to see,” she said, adding she had professional input offered on the idea that she brought to Clinton from Toronto. “What we have is the result of those discussions.”

Construction on the tunnel started in November, and was completed in December, with the lights turned on for New Year’s Eve.
“The feedback has been incredible,” Smith said. “Residents are loving it and people have visited it multiple times, even people from out of town.”

The tunnel has garnered a lot of media attention, she said, especially when Spencer Yearley and Amber Weber of Exeter got engaged at the site.

“That was particularly exciting,” she said. “He is from out of town, but watched the construction progress and decided on it.”
She said that Yearley had the plan in the back of his mind and put it into action when the tunnel was complete. Smith said Yearley decorated the space and made the event memorable.

The installation isn’t seasonal, she said, and will remain up, though she has some changes in mind for the future to make both the entire experience and the lights themselves more interactive. 

Smith said the project was a municipal one, but was also made possible through the My Main Street grant program, Huron County and IG Wealth Management.