BOZEMAN — Walking around Downtown Bozeman, you’ll likely notice snow coming down and holiday sights just about everywhere. One of those sights – the famous Christmas spiders, which went up on Tuesday morning.
“We come down every year, and see the spiders,” said Patricia Cornelious, who’s lived in Bozeman for the past 16 years. “I like the spiders. They’re different than decorations you see in most towns and cities. They’re kind of unique.”
Cornelious is right; the spiders are unique. Their history dates to the 1960s, when Bozeman firefighters became part of decorating downtown for Christmas.
In 1969, downtown businesses purchased the first spider, which was the green one. It was installed at Bozeman and Main Street, just like it is now.
After the first spider was purchased, the remaining colors – red, gold, and white – were also purchased, one year at a time, according to Downtown Bozeman.
“It was really a way to bring décor into our Downtown area,” said Ellie Staley, executive director of Downtown Bozeman. “And because we have such a linear nature in Downtown and our intersections are right up to the corner, I think it really lent well to this design.”
As for the process of putting up and maintaining the decorations, which contain a 24-foot-tall center and spider legs between 43 to 67 feet long, well, it’s never been an easy task. In the beginning, thousands of light bulbs had to be replaced each year and turned on and off manually. Now, they use LED lights, which last longer and are on an automatic timer.
Tim O’Tool with Bozeman Fire, who is in charge of the decoration maintenance, says it’s still an in-depth process.
“Normally, a month in advance, we’ll pull ‘em all out, replace any bulbs that are faulty, check everything, make sure it’s all working,” said O’Tool. “It’s a process with probably around 30 people in total that it takes.”
Bozeman's Christmas spiders return for another holiday season. The unique decorations represent 55 years of community tradition in downtown Bozeman
It’s a process that takes several organizations, from the City of Bozeman’s Forestry Department to Bozeman Arbor Care to Montana Crane and more.
“Knowing the type of work and the energy that goes into these spiders, it’s very special,” said Staley.
Staley says there’s one difference in this year’s decorations compared to past years.
“Four years ago, the green spider tipped over during the Christmas stroll. Since then, we really saw it as an opportunity to restore our spiders,” said Staley.
“This year is especially exciting because it is the year when we put up our final restored spider,” she added.
As for when the Christmas spiders will be lit, it’ll be at the annual Christmas Stroll on Saturday.
“We will make our way our way down Main Street and with the spirit of the community – and Santa – we will light all four of the spiders,” said Staley.
The Christmas spiders will be up until early January. If you’re interested in learning more, visit this link.
