Mount Gordon Lyon star to be lit for holiday season

  • Published
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The 773d Civil Engineer Squadron will light the Mount Gordon Lyon Star the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 28, signaling the start of the holiday season in Anchorage. The star remains lit until the last musher finishes the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The 773d CES also lights the star annually on Sept. 11 in observance of the events of 2001, and on Veterans Day.

Winter access to the site previously required snow machines and snowshoes but after the 773d CES installed a new transmitter and upgraded LED rope lighting in 2022, it reduced the number of maintenance trips required during winter operations.

“The star has been part of Anchorage for decades, and our team works hard each year to ensure it stays that way,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Rosales, 773d CES Interior Electrical non-commissioned officer in charge. “Keeping it lit is a small way we support the community and continue a long-standing Alaska tradition.”

The star’s tradition began in 1958 when U.S. Army Capt. Douglas Evert placed a 15-foot star on top of the former NIKE missile site. The star expanded in 1970 to 117 feet and again in 1989 to its current size of approximately 300 feet, making it visible throughout the Anchorage area.

For more information about the upgrades and maintenance on the star please visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/428969/773d-ces-gives-arctic-valley-star-new-lights

For more information, contact JBER Public Affairs at (907) 551-8995 or jber.pa.mediaops@us.af.mil.