As dusk turned to dark on Friday night new lighting for Summer Street came to life for the first time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Three-and-a-half-metre-tall poles with energy-efficient LED lighting have been installed about every 13.5 metres along both sides of Summer Street.
The are located from Sale Street to McNamara Street.
Each light is turned on by its own photo-electric cell.
The lighting is part of the $1.5 million Future City "Whiteway" project, an upgrade of footpath lighting in Summer and Anson streets.
Lights excite, and in attendance were state MP Phil Donato, Orange City Council's director of technical services Ian Greenham, mayor Reg Kidd, state MLC Sam Farraway and councillor Jeff Whitton.
When Cr Whitton travels around the region and into Sydney for work he is struck by how many people have bulb-based memories of Orange and refer to it as the City of Lights.
"They know us for our food and wine and beautiful autumn and spring colours, but they say they remember the lights of the main street," said Cr Whitton.
"For a lot of them it goes back to their childhood, and they have very good memories."
He is referring to the daisy-chain of once-coloured and now yellow bulbs that zig zag above cars along Summer Street, and he believes the new lighting will add to the "uniqueness" of the city.
"They certainly do the job," he said.
"It's all about lifestyle and drawing people to our city to live or work or visit, and to take away something they can remember."
Cr Whitton said council would look at returning coloured globes to a portion of Summer Street, suggesting the stretch between Sale and Anson streets as an ideal spot.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS AND SPORT?
Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...