Downtown Saline Dressed for the Holidays Thanks to Generous Donors

Holiday decor hasn't been the same in downtown Saline since the mature trees came down during the Michigan Avenue reconstruction project. And this year, with Saline Main Street's focus on trying to help keep downtown businesses keep the lights on and doors open, the holiday decor seemed a little less than festive.

That all changed Thursday thanks to Jason and Amy Miller.

The Lodi Township residents not only donated strings of lights and garland  - they spent all hours of the day and into the night putting them up. Jason even had his employees come downtown to help.

"We knew there was a need and we wanted to help," said Amy Miller, who once was part owner of the Benito's Pizza in downtown Saline. The Millers own Global Diversified  Inc., a company involved in development and communication towers.

The Millers and their helpers strung lights and garland around the new lamp poles along Michigan Avenue, from Harris to Lewis streets, and Ann Arbor Street, from McKay to Henry streets. People immediately noticed the difference.

"Looks amazing," said Heidi McClelland, who owns a photography studio downtown. "Drove through at around 6:30 and just love how it looks!"

Nick James said he was impressed when he drove through.

"What a beautiful site," James said.

Tiffany Alexander said she's seen bigger displays, but that bigger isn't always better.

"It is bright, cheerful, and quite pretty! The way poles are wrapped is incredibly charming and small town in the best way. As we drove through town I was very warmed by how lovely it looked," Alexander said. "It feels cozy and real. I thought the job was done beautifully. Thank you to all who helped out!"

Joanna Kokkales noted the improvement.

"Now that is more like it! Thank you to all who helped make our city more beautiful especially during these trying times," Kokkales said.

Downtown decorations have been a sensitive topic in Saline, lately. A complaint about the decor in the Saline Posts Facebook group started a fairly contentious discussion. But the town's holiday appearance and definitely slipped in recent years.

In 2013, the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce launched a $55,000 fundraiser to professionally string new LED lights on 87 trees along Michigan Avenue and Ann Arbor Street. But only a few years later, trees were removed and replaced with young trees when Michigan Avenue was reconstructed and sidewalks were replaced. People didn't want to restring the young trees, so downtown Saline wasn't quite as bright and cheery for the season.

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