47th Annual Luminaria Event is Coming Soon, Sponsored by the Mt. Lookout Community Council

Sunday, December 10th, 2023, 6pm-8pm

Organized by the MLCC and Mt. Lookout Business Association, Luminaria is an annual holiday tradition enjoyed by all in our community. On Light Up Night, residents and businesses throughout the community line our streets and sidewalks with inviting luminaries to light up the night and celebrate the season!

Luminaria is Your community council’s ONLY fundraiser!  The Mt. Lookout Community Council is a non-profit organization. Proceeds from Luminaria kit sales are directly reinvested into your neighborhood, including beautification and maintenance of Mt. Lookout Square, including landscaping, seasonal flower pots, and holiday lights, as well as the Mt. Lookout Fall Festival, Ault Park Fireworks and more. Additionally, the MLCC serves as your liaison between Mt. Lookout and City Hall, so having a strong community is key to making our voices heard.

How do I Buy a Luminaria Kit?

Luminaria kits will be available for sale online beginning September 24th! See the link above to purchase a kit with our Early Bird Special! Beginning October 1st, kits are $30 each, or two for $50. Each additional kit is $30.

There will be a limited supply of kits available for sale at Lookout Joe’s and Keepsake Photography beginning at 1:00pm on Sunday, November 12. Both shops are located in the square and will sell kits while supplies last. Exact change or check (made out to MLCC) is preferred. At the time of purchase, you will be asked to complete a short form so that we can keep track of all orders. Please allow yourself enough time to complete this form and return it back to Lookout Joe’s or Keepsake Photography staff at the time of your purchase. 

You may also purchase a kit in person on Saturday, November 11 between 9am and noon at Toolbank Cincinnati. Please pull up to the check-in table to purchase and collect your kit. 

Each kit includes: 

• 24 white paper bags
• 24 votive candles
• Sand
• Luminaria Program Book

LIGHT UP NIGHT

December 10th @ 6pm-8pm in Mt. Lookout square

Luminaria in Mt. Lookout is meant to celebrate the winter season and all those holidays that fall within it. We invite you to enjoy Light Up Night with your family and close friends, and explore the neighborhood.

Light Up Night Family Activities

Trolley Rides, Cookies and Cocoa

Join us from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for cookies, snacks and hot chocolate in the Square! All food will be individually wrapped and available for self-serve. After you’ve had your fill, step onto an old-fashioned trolley and enjoy the holiday lights. Thank you to Lookout Joe’s for donating the hot chocolate and to Rohde Funeral Home for allowing us to use their front lot.

Spreading Holiday Music Cheer throughout Mt. Lookout

While you’re sipping cocoa around the bonfire in the square, enjoy some holiday music performed by the Mt. Notre Dame Choir (6pm-7pm). The music continues along the trolley ride with a stop at Kilgour Elementary for a performance by the Kilgour school choir (7-7:30pm).

Thank you to our 2022 Luminaria Sponsors:

Sibcy Cline *  Nailtique * The Redmoor *  Boogie Brand * Wimberg Landscaping * JDM Printing & Apparel, LLC * Lookout Joe’s * Keepsake Photography Studio * Mt. Lookout Smoke Shop * Geo. H. Rohde & Son Funeral Home *   Zip’s Cafe * Lash Boutique * Coldwell Banker, Finn Team * H. Glasgow Construction * Soujourn Boutique *          Mobray Manor * Winding Lane Interiors * Comey & Shephard, Brian Budde * Huwel Insurance * ZDF Design *          Pilot Chemical Company * Mt. Lookout Chiropractic * Cardinal Pacelli School * Kilgour Elementary * 

 Want to be a 2023 Luminaria Sponsor? Email info@mtlookout.org! 

HISTORY OF THE EVENT

Every year people ask – “How did Luminaria start in Mt. Lookout?”  Well now you have your answers…

Luminaria began out of necessity in 1975. The birth of Luminaria was due in part for the need to raise funds for a float to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial in 1976.  The Mt. Lookout Civic Club (now the Mt. Lookout Community Council) did not have the funds to pay for the tissue paper squares needed to stuff the chicken-wire frame float. Luckily for the Civic Club and following generations of Mt. Lookout residents, Mrs. Georgia McCartney recalled a Spanish custom adopted by an Arizona community she visited the previous year. The Spanish custom included lighting bonfires to guide the Christ Child into people’s homes during the  holiday season. The tradition has evolved into using paper bags with candles inside for the purpose of guiding guests to the household. Mr. Elmer Scherman, the first Luminaria Chairman, recalls that approximately 900 kits were sold that first year for $3.75 each. The holiday tradition has continued ever since.