INC NEWS - How to make luminaries?

[Mike - Hotmail]

Deb,

Back in the late eighties and throughout the 90's I helped organize and coordinate the purchase and sales of luminaries for WHHNA.

Back then we'd purchase the candles from the Cathedral Candle Company 315-422-9119 and another supplier called Church Supply 800.626.3545 with contacts there who were Bob Alexander 800-999-2284 and Rick Tonini respectively.

While it's been a few years since I've contacted them,  I believe these are still good numbers.   But you might want to Google these companies just to make sure.

In my notes I've got that in 1996 we ordered 60 cases of the 10 hr candles in gross cases at $8.45/cs (no including shipping costs).

We also purchased the #6 white bags locally at Brame after the paper store closed out on Roxboro Road.

At the time,  I believe the unit cost for each luminary using these large purchase quantities brought them in at just around 30 cents a piece.

Watts Hospital also had a half page narrative that we handed out with each sale that warned neighbors not to put them out by dry leaves and keep them away for other combustable materials (this is Autumn).

One of the best hints I can recall giving people dealt with folding down about a half inch of each luminary at the top of the bag to give it some additional strength against breezes and the occassional motorist who drives too close to the curb.

The many memories of different neighbors coming together each year to pull everything together was the best part.

I particularily remember Albert Dailey's donating the use of his trailer each year to retrieve donated sand from Durham Hardware and Mike McKinney and I struggling to get back into our neighborhood after the tire blew just a few blocks after picking up a few wet tons of sand.

One very successful year we resorted to using bird seed after running out of sand just to make sure some last minute residents of the neighborhood could join in the celebration.

It's very satisfying to know that the Night of Lights has become an even bigger celebration in Durham with more and more neighborhoods joining in.


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Deb Christie 
  To: Durham INC 
  Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 12:47 PM
  Subject: INC NEWS - How to make luminaries?


  Dear INC neighbors,

  Since I know that a number of you have "luminary" nights during the winter holiday season, I wonder if some of you might share your wisdom on finding the materials (white paper bags, sand, candles) and making luminaries as inexpensively and safely as possible.  Are there any special tricks to know?

  Thanks so much,

  Deb Christie
  dchristie1 at nc.rr.com


------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  _______________________________________________
  INC-list mailing list
  INC-list at rtpnet.org
  http://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/listinfo/inc-list
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/private/inc-list/attachments/20061023/75b4d498/attachment.htm