Oakley Square's Ginkgo Trees Are Set to Light Up Again. Here's Why They Went Dark.
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
For three Decembers, how Oakley Square looked at night has depended mostly on the 21 ginkgo trees along Geier Esplanade. Each season's display has dealt with the same problem in a different way: the trees are the most striking feature on the Square, and lighting them the old way hurt them.
Innergreen's 2026 proposal for the esplanade at 2980 Madison Road is the first design built around that limit. It would put the light low on the trunks and hang it from the branches, so nothing would be wrapped high in the canopy. The proposal also covers two seasons, so if it goes forward as written, this December's display would come back unchanged in December 2027.
The Oakley Community Council's holiday lighting page explains how the Square got here. Each step came out of the one before it.
Each fix responded to a complaint about the one before. The fence line kept the trees safe and gave up the look, and the evergreens and big tree put brightness back on the Square while the ginkgos stayed mostly dark. This year the council asked Innergreen what it would take to get light higher into the trees again, and Innergreen came back with a design that would never ask the ginkgos to carry anything wrapped up high. The council's page said the proposal would be discussed at its September meeting.
Innergreen's 2026 proposal describes the ginkgos as 18 to 20 feet tall. The wrapped lighting would stop at 7 to 8 feet. On each tree, the trunk and some of the lower limbs would be lit, and the upper canopy, where the earlier installs did their damage, would stay unwrapped.
The height would come from hanging sphere lights. Each ginkgo would get six spheres, three at 12 inches and three at 16 inches, all in warm white.
| Element | Where | Quantity in the proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Warm white LED strands, trunk and lower limbs | 21 ginkgos, 10 on the north side and 11 on the south side | 105 strands, 5 per tree |
| 12-inch warm white LED spheres | Hung from the ginkgos | 63, 3 per tree |
| 16-inch warm white LED spheres | Hung from the ginkgos | 63, 3 per tree |
| Warm white LED strands on trunks | 4 crabapple trees, about 10 feet tall | 8 strands, 2 per trunk |
| 12-foot decorated tree in red and silver | Existing oval bed at the east entry | 1 |
That comes to 126 spheres over the esplanade, each one hung from a branch, which keeps the canopy free of wrapped strands.
The proposal lists a yearly price of $21,238.04 before any sales tax. It covers installation, take-down and storage, and Innergreen keeps ownership of the décor.
The proposal covers two years, 2026 and 2027. It also says the décor will "remain unchanged during commitment period."
Since 2024 the display has changed every year. Under this plan, the spheres and lit trunks Oakley sees this season would be the same arrangement next season.
The two-year term also shapes the money question. The council says it has enough sponsorships this year to cover the cost increase over previous years, and that its challenge is covering next year too, because it's a two-year contract.
The businesses and organizations the council lists as sponsors of its 2026 events, holiday lights and tree include:
MadTree, Dewey's and Neyer Properties were on last year's list as well.
The proposal's requested installation date is Tuesday, November 17, 2026. The requested take-down is the week of January 11, 2027, so the ginkgos would stay lit through the holidays and into early January.
The council has also widened its December plans beyond a single lighting night. Its October 2026 meeting packet calls for "a cohesive holiday experience" meant to keep residents shopping, dining and spending time in Oakley through the season.
Saturday, December 5: Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Geier Esplanade. The packet describes two parts. A family holiday celebration and the tree lighting run from late afternoon into early evening, and then the night turns into an adult-oriented neighborhood gathering.
Holiday Nights in Oakley is a Friday series in the weeks before Christmas, with proposed dates of December 4, 11 and 18. The first one falls the night before the lighting ceremony, so Oakley's first December weekend opens on Friday. The packet also describes a passport or shopping card that sends visitors into several participating businesses around the neighborhood.
Shop Local Oakley is the third part. The packet calls for an improved Shop Local Oakley website or app with business directories and a place for businesses to post sales, events and classes. It also lists a holiday shopping map and more event and sponsor signage across the business districts.
Times for each event will be posted on the council's event listing and at oakleynow.com.
The requested install date lands about two and a half weeks before the December 5 ceremony on Geier Esplanade. Under the proposal's two-year décor term, the lights that go up that week would be the Square's display for the next two Decembers.
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