A (Christmas) Rose By Any Other Name

I was walking around Chelsea Parade as is my custom (those 10,000 steps a day will not walk themselves, right?), and as I walked down the Broadway side, and passed the flagpole to my right I fast-forwarded to the end-of-year holidays. I was reminiscing about one of my favorite traditions, the Christmas Rose that Public Works and Public Utilities used to erect every year around the time of the Winterfest Parade. 

When the preventable plague, COVID-19, overtook all of us, part of the collateral damage as our world changed was the Christmas Rose was not constructed that year. I very much looked forward to the following year only to learn that during all assembly and disassembly, and wear and tear as well as 24/7 exposure to the elements, the Christmas Rose was beyond salvage or repair.

I suspect throughout the years, much of the display had received homegrown and handmade repairs and refurbishment. In today’s economy, the cost to create and construct a new one, in terms of time, talent, and treasure would be prohibitive. In a universe with never quite enough for all the ‘need to haves’ even a fanboy like me is forced to accept a new Christmas Rose could only be a ‘nice to have.’  

But passing the flagpole and thinking about the Christmas Rose led me to wonder about an outdoor holographic projector to recreate A, if not The, Christmas Rose. I know, ‘You need to get a life.’ Thank you, I’ve had one. As Springsteen sang, ‘I ain’t here on business, baby, I’m only here for fun.’ And exhorting you to think about this is my idea of fun.

I found a YouTube wizard, reallyMello, who has become my frame of reference on this quixotic (not chaotic) quest. He created four videos detailing his outdoor Halloween holographic project and here’s where they started.

First, and to answer your question, I believe it can be accomplished, but because of an accident of birth (I was born handsome rather than smart; also, delusional), it will take many hands and minds better than mine (=yours) to make this happen, assuming the permissions whose number I cannot begin to imagine, can be granted.

And no, it will not come cheap though in looking at what seems to be the logistics required for this, I don’t think it’s beyond the financial grasp of a modest GoFundMe page effort as no more than $5000 should do it (or perhaps the newly-resurrected Sachem Fund might be a vehicle to consider although this project would have nothing to do with Chelsea Gardens (Attempted joke)). 

Intended by no means to be exhaustive, we’d need a projector, holographic screen as well as a sturdy frame (REALLY BIG) for a large amount of tulle fabric, and a USB flash drive to hold as many images of the Christmas Rose as we can scrounge up.

Also, critically important and integral to the success of this project, are people with the knowledge and skillsets to put this all together, literally and figuratively.

Count me out, sadly. I once cut myself so deeply with an apple corer (while trying to dry it) that I had to visit the Backus ER which gives you a gruesomely accurate insight into my handyman credentials.  I used to specialize in being decorative rather than helpful but since my looks faded, I’ve been sort of in limbo.

I think we could do this, but we’d have to work together. 

What do you say? Can we, and more importantly, will we? Let me hear from you.
-bill kenny