An ambitious project to shed new light on Oroville

Table mountain bridge project

Over the past couple months, we've explored Oroville residents who we believe are the torch for a brighter future. Dean Gurr is amongst those few—he's a photographer by day and a Downtown Oroville enthusiast by night. Creative imaging is his primary business, but like most artists, he has his hands in a few different pots—one being the Rotary Club of Oroville, where he is actively meeting and coming up with exciting new ideas.

Back in 2018, Dean was president of the Rotary Club and thinking of a project to benefit his community. While on a walk one night, Dean and his wife Monique passed by the Table Mountain Bridge and immediately the light bulb went off. A friend directed the two to an old newspaper that featured an article on the Oroville Water Carnival. This was back in 1911, when Oroville used to host carnival activities on and around the bridge and downtown. During the carnival, the bridge was beautifully lined with lights that dazzled the area and water below. The event was so popular at the time, it attracted approximately 20,000 visitors from around Northern California. Dean thought, “How awesome would it be if we could get this bridge illuminated once again?” Monique agreed, and the idea was proposed to Rotary as the club’s centennial community project to celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2024. It proved to be a huge hit.

The Table Mountain Bridge Project is in its early stages as donations and grants are still being collected, and it is estimated the project will cost around $500,000. The good news is the club has already raised over $100,000. The bridge is estimated to have 5,000 full-color LED nodes that are remotely programmable and will provide “light shows” at regular intervals. Still in the works, but hopefully in the near future, the Rotary Club will allow anyone to sponsor a light or section of the bridge. This could be used as a gift, token of appreciation, or a remembrance of a loved one. The possibilities are endless, but cannot be done without community help and engagement.

One inspiration for the bridge came from the Memphis Mighty Lights which is a fully programmable bridge that provides spectacular illumination night-in and night-out. That's the vision for the bridge, to have a place where people can gather on a nightly basis to enjoy one another and actually revel in a piece of living history. It’s easy to envision—games being held, music being played, and the sound of people laughing. We have a little bit of a wait, as the bridge project is set to complete in 2024. If you want to help now, the Rotary Club is always taking donations.

The bridge was built in 1907 and holds a ton of rich history. Dean and the Rotary Club plan to bring that back to life and resurrect a piece lost to time. We hope you get a chance to either participate in the process or enjoy the spectacle when it's finally complete.

If you have any questions or want to find out how you can be involved, visit OrovilleLights.com or reach out to Dean, as he would love to discuss the options! You can reach him at dgurr.rotary@gmail.com