A new star is born in Milford

By Frances Ruth Harris
MILFORD — For many Mifordians, it just isn't Christmas without a bright star shining overhead.
We don't mean the actual firmament — those twinklers will continue to shine for millennia to come. We mean the star atop the Milford Knob, which for generations brought that celestial brilliance home for the holidays. But the star on the Knob is on National Park Service property, and since last year it's been dark to avoid the Constitutional conflict between church and state.
“Everyone said they were so sad to see it go," said Cindy Reeves, who has been helping the rise of a new star. "The park service said it was a religious symbol and it had to go. I didn't feel that way. It adds to the spirt of the season, and I wanted to keep it lit as did many others. It is a big and important part of the spirit of Milford.”
Enter Don Quick to the rescue. He erected a star on his property at Milford Heights, a rise to the north of the borough (the Knob star was south and west of the borough).
Reeves started a GoFundMe site (https://www.gofundme.com/a-star-for-shriners) to offset the cost of electricity to illuminate the star, which Quick is now paying. Quick asked that surplus funds be donated to the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia, where his daughter Stephanie Quick as a child had a series of surgeries.
Kevin McCullough and Bill Seidel helped Quick build the star. Kevin Stroyan added 160 feet of incandescent light bulbs to enhance its brilliance.
The star is made of wood covered in silver mylar. Each line of the star is 24 feet long and supported by 30-foot above-ground posts. The horizontal stroke is 30 feet above the ground, while the point on top is 40 feet above the ground.
'The star has been a hallmark of Milford for longer than I've been alive," said Quick. "The community has always looked forward to the lighting of the star and its presence over Milford during the holidays. I happened to have a piece of property where it would seem to be suitable. It wouldn't be Christmas in Milford without the star. It's an opportunity for me to give a present to our community and I hope that starting now, and at Christmas and in the coming year we can all practice tolerance and understanding as well as give back to the community.”
Online: gofundme.com/a-star-for-shriners
Related stories: "Cross and star are dark, for now": http://bit.ly/2kmSAa9
"Knob won't light up for Easter — but maybe for Christmas": http://bit.ly/2ALmTzb
"The fault is not in our star, girl says": http://bit.ly/2q1VbIf