Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau allocates 15K to keep Milford Star shining

The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is allocating $15,000 to the Milford Lions Club to purchase a solar array to power the newly reestablished Milford Star.

The news was shared at the Aug. 19 meeting of the Pike County Board of Commissioners, where a representative from the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau spoke on the community’s support for the reinstatement of the star at the top of the Milford Knob.

Solar array to light up star for longer stretches

With the new solar array, the Lions Club, the group responsible for the upkeep of the holiday decorations throughout Milford, including the star, and the Milford-Matamoras Rotary Club won’t have to carry large batteries up and down the mountain each time the star is illuminated. There is a power line that runs up the mountain to the star’s location, but this is no longer an option for powering the lights. Instead, the solar array aims to power the star for long periods of time, with the Lions Club hoping to run it from Dec. 5 to the end of January. Beyond the winter holiday season, the Lions Club aims to light the star on other major holidays and events on the calendar, such as the Fourth of July and 9/11.

Keeping the Milford star lit

The Milford Star was relit for the first time on July 4 since having been removed in 2017. The successful efforts to have the star returned to The Knob were achieved by the Lions Club’s Restore the Star Committee, who worked alongside the Parks Service to have the star brought back to Milford’s scenery.

The Greater Pike Community Foundation has a Restore the Star fund, which is the best place to donate to the project going forward. While the $15,000 from the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is a great help on top of the $7000 already raised, maintaining the star will remain a pressing concern for the Lions Club as it will be exposed to the harsh weather conditions the area receives. This money will additionally go to the installation and maintenance of the tree lights on Milford’s main roads, which are also handled by the Lions Club. The costs of maintaining the star and the power supply will continue to mount, so any individual or organization that would like to donate can do so through the Restore the Star fund.