LACROSSE, Wis. – A LaCrosse treasure, the Rotary Lights holiday extravaganza at Riverfront Park, was vandalized by copper thieves over the weekend. Electrical cords in most of 70 electrical pedestals used to begin the process of lighting the park were cut, the copper taken. The black market for scrap copper is about $4.50 a pound. Pat Stephens, president of Rotary Lights, estimated replacement cords will cost $10,000. For 26 years the Rotary Lights project has never experienced vandalism or theft, Stephens said.
More 3 million lights. Visitors pay to visit. Proceeds go to feed the hungry.