City workers install evergreen swags on street light poles around downtown Bloomington on Nov. 21, 2022. Indiana University Landscaping Services has given evergreen swags to the city for more than 20 years to help with its holiday decorations. Photo by Alex Kumar, Indiana University Walk around downtown Bloomington during the holidays and you’ll see canopies of lights illuminating the area, and evergreen swags with bright red bows and streamers affixed to the light poles.

And as you admire the decorations, they may look familiar. That’s because they are the same ones used around Indiana University during the holidays.

For at least 20 years, IU and its landscaping department have provided Bloomington with the iconic evergreen swags. The city installs them along Kirkwood Avenue, from Indiana Avenue to Walnut Street, and around the downtown square.

“IU Landscape Services is always excited to collaborate with our city partners on this initiative,” said Tristan Johnson, Landscape Services leader. “It’s been a long-standing tradition to share these holiday decorations, and it’s just a small piece of what makes IU Bloomington and the city of Bloomington such a special place to see during the holidays.”

The week before Thanksgiving, a five-member nursery team at IU constructs about 500 swags. A portion are given to the city, and Landscape Services crews hang the remainder on campus during the week of Thanksgiving, welcoming students, faculty and staff back from their break with some holiday cheer.

The evergreen swags that IU provides to the city are the same ones used to decorate the campus. Photo by Alex Kumar, Indiana University The nonprofit Downtown Bloomington Inc. was formed in 1984 to revitalize the downtown area. Holiday decorating and events were seen as way to bring the community together, said Talisha Coppock, Downtown Bloomington Inc.’s executive director. The Canopy of Lights was created to bring back memories of yesteryear of lights streaming from the courthouse to buildings around the square to form a canopy.

Downtown Bloomington Inc. coordinates downtown holiday decorating with many partners, including IU.

“They generously agreed to provide matching swags to help with downtown daytime decorations,” Coppock said. “These swags add consistency and a natural, authentic feel and color to the holiday season to tie the campus and downtown together.

“The quality and handcrafted love show in each one of the swags; we really appreciate them. They are special and remind us all of the holiday season.”

Preparation for decorating downtown Bloomington begins in early November, Coppock said. All of the elements are labor intensive, and installation usually occurs the week of Thanksgiving in order to displayed on Nov. 25 for the Canopy of Lights event. More than 6,000 people attend the lighting ceremony that features a community sing-along and a visit by Santa Claus. Decorations stay up through New Year’s Day.

Kirk Johannesen is a communications consultant for the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing.