The City of Boulder celebrates the 76th lighting of the Boulder Star since 1947 on Saturday. The gigantic fixture is lit to commemorate Veterans Day and the holiday season. While its meaning has evolved over the years, it’s deeply sentimental for some Boulder residents.
The star is made of more than 350 light bulbs strung around tall poles. It’s up on Flagstaff Mountain, and it towers over downtown Boulder. The structure used to be lower to the ground, but after several years of vandalism, broken bulbs and rearranging the star into different symbols – from a peace sign to a cross – it got a makeover.
Many community members have made memories with the star, from engagements to holiday photos. John Tayer, the president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the star’s operation, said there’s an element of joy that comes with the star lighting.
“So many families will drive up to Flagstaff Road and take a family picture with the Boulder Star behind it,” he said. “I think that just that symbol for me recognizes just how folks apply that Boulder Star to their own community tradition.”
But, for one Boulder family, it’s a place to grieve and remember.
“We saw the star almost as the therapy for Tye and his processing of things that were unpleasant,” said Dan McCarthy, a Boulder resident and father of Tye McCarthy, who has autism.
Many years ago, when Tye was in middle school, some of his friends passed away unexpectedly and he was not sure how to process it. But when he saw the star, he saw it as a symbol of healing and associated it with his friends.
“He (Tye) would look at the star and say, ‘They're in a better place, they're in a happy place,'” Dan said. “‘They don't have wheelchairs, they don't have crutches.’ … And he’ll say ‘This is for Ron and Sheila and for my other friends.’”
It wasn’t long after that when Tye was asked to light the star by Craig Reynolds, from Lord & Reynolds Electrical Services. Reynolds was the “star man,” according to Dan, making sure all the lightbulbs were working each year. Reynolds wanted Tye to be a bigger part of the tradition since it meant so much to him.
“(Reynolds) said, ‘Listen, we're going to be turning the star on tonight. I want you to come up and help,’” McCarthy recalled Reynolds saying. “And I said, ‘You've got to be kidding.’ And Craig says, ‘I'd love to do it. This is what the star is supposed to be all about.’”
Now, Dan said Tye gets very excited and he goes around town announcing when it will be lit, sometimes weeks in advance. Tye will go outside the house every night after the official lighting to make sure it’s still turning on properly. Reynolds even gave him a “star maintenance” vest.
“It's given Tye really a purpose and a meaning in the community,” Dan said. “It’s changed his life.”
For many years families like the McCarthys would go up the mountain to watch the lighting in-person. But the mountain is very steep, and the chances of getting injured are higher when combined with snow and ice, so the city restricted visitors around the time of the pandemic onward.
“From personal experience, lugging boxes of light bulbs up to the Boulder Star and periodically seeing folks drop those boxes and having them just tumble down … it’s an indication of how steep that area is,” Tayer said. “It's especially dangerous.”
Additionally, parks officials wanted to protect the wildlife species that were nesting in the area, as well as prevent erosion that could upset the star structure. Tayer said there is some talk of creating a safe pathway in the future, but for now, the chamber asks visitors to view the star from safer access points.
The star has also been used for more than just the holidays – the city has lit the star during tragic events, like the Marshall Fire or the pandemic.
“It's interesting how soon we will get outreach from community members when they recognize moments that are difficult, that they ask us to consider lighting the Boulder Star,” Tayer said.
Regardless of its use or interpretation, it’s something that brings the community together.
“For most of them, they have their own meaning, but it makes them all feel good,” he said. “That's the common denominator. It's like we can celebrate something that can unite us.”
