Colorado living: When the Castle Rock Star was born
The Castle Rock Starlighting is a longtime annual traditional community festival and ceremony that culminates with lighting the star on top of Castle Rock, along with a fireworks display.
In 1936, during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, the 45-foot-tall electric Castle Rock Star (Star) first lit up the night with nearly 100 light bulbs. It served as a form of hope during those tough times and a means to attract highway travelers to visit Castle Rock.
Teamwork and generosity made the Star a reality. George P. Stewart donated the land and men from the Works Progress Administration – a federal work program – designed the Star. Donations from the Town Council paid for 40-foot steel rods, which volunteer firemen carried up Castle Rock and welded together using gas provided by two local businesses. The manager of the local electric company contributed poles and helped string the electric wire that the Mountain States Telephone Company donated.
When finished, the Star shone from around 5 p.m. until midnight every night during the Christmas season. It stayed lit all night on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
From 1936 to 1941, the Star was lit every holiday season; however, during World War II, electricity shortages kept it dark. Still, it stood as a symbol of the sacrifices everyone was making. When the war ended, the Star was briefly converted into a “V” for victory. It was lit again on December 7, 1945, and has shone every holiday season since.
The mid-1960s saw the beginning of the tradition of a star lighting ceremony, including the reading of poet Helen Lowrie Marshall’s poem “The Star of Castle Rock” at most of the ceremonies. The poem also appeared in the local newspaper from the 1960s through the 1980s.
The Star has been lit several times outside of the holidays. Celebrating the Denver Broncos Super Bowl victories, the lightbulbs were blue and orange. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and during the pandemic in 2020, the Star was lit to inspire hope.
Currently, the Star shines from the week before Thanksgiving until the end of the National Western Stock Show in January. Castle Rock holds special festivities to mark the first lighting of the season.
This year, the Starlighting is Saturday, November 23, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Castle Rock. Festivities include the annual chili supper, booths offering holiday goodies and trinkets, food and drink, a kids’ zone, live entertainment and more. The lighting of the Star is at approximately 5:30 p.m., followed by fireworks. For more information, visit castlerock.org/castle-rock-starlighting/.
To learn more about the Star and Starlighting, visit archives.dcl.org and search “Castle Rock Star.”
Carolers walked down Wilcox Street in Castle Rock at the Castle Rock Starlighting celebration in 1965.
By Susan Helton; photos courtesy of Douglas County Libraries Archives & Local History and Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce
