Ben Lomond HS mountainside emblem gets lighting (at least temporarily)
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- The Ben Lomond High School “BL” emblem on the mountainside above the high school, photographed Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Boosters placed lights around the emblem as an experiment to see how it would look.
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- The Ben Lomond High School “BL” emblem on the mountainside above the high school, photographed Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Boosters placed lights around the emblem as an experiment to see how it would look.
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- The new “BL” lettering on the mountain above Ben Lomond High School, photographed Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, from Ninth Street in Ogden.
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- The new “BL” emblem taking shape on the mountainside above Ben Lomond High School, photographed Friday, July 22, 2022. Doug Wimmer, Ben Lomond class of 1972, is spearheading the efforts.
OGDEN — Being the week of the Iron Horse football game, Ben Lomond High alumni Doug Wimmer figured it was time for the next phase of his efforts to boost his alma mater — illuminating the “BL” lettering on the mountainside above the school.
“Just dedicated,” he said, alluding to his allegiance as a Scot. If Weber County officials would allow the lighting, he said, “it would be a plus for the school.”
Wimmer, class of 1972, spearheaded efforts last year to upgrade the “BL” emblem that has long adorned the mountain overlooking the school. He, students and other school boosters moved the lettering slightly up the mountain out of Rocky Mountain Power right-of-way onto Weber County property. They replaced the white-washed rocks that had been used to create the intersecting B and L with pavers, making for a wider, more uniform-looking emblem, all in the name of boosting school pride.
Three or so months ago, he got permission from Weber County officials to temporarily light the emblem so it would show up at night, the next phase of his plans. Then on Tuesday — just ahead of Thursday’s Iron Horse game between Ben Lomond High and crosstown rival Ogden High — a crew of volunteers climbed the mountain and placed the lighting.
Shanda Richey, mother of four Ben Lomond grads and a fifth student now attending the school, led the effort. The team placed some 250 solar-powered lights on the perimeter of the emblem. “It’s hard work and it’s been a good group of (Ben Lomond) students who helped make it happen,” she said.
The results, though, have been mixed. “They looked pretty good out there Tuesday night,” Richey said. Given the cloudy weather since then, though, the lights haven’t fully charged back up, making for a somewhat dim glow.
At any rate, the experiment gives the Scots boosters an idea of the possibilities. Richey said the lights will remain through the weekend — sunny skies are expected, which should allow the solar-powered lights to fully charge during the day — and then they’ll be removed, probably on Monday.
Wimmer would like to get permanent lighting up on the letters, powered by Rocky Mountain Power. “We’re hoping eventually to contact the power company and have them run electricity up there so we could put lights up there permanently,” he said.
In his dream scenario, the lights wouldn’t necessarily stay lit all night, every night. Rather, he imagines Ben Lomond officials would be able to turn them on during special events — homecoming, graduation, football games, the Iron Horse game — and then turn them off.
First things first, though. Wimmer said he and the other Ben Lomond boosters will evaluate the success of this lighting experiment then decide what direction to go. “Let’s take it in tiny steps,” he said.