Twain Harte Holds Christmas Lighting Despite Power Outage

TWAIN HARTE (CBS13) – A little thing like the absence of electricity couldn't stop one Tuolumne County town from holding their annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony Friday night.

The Twain Harte Christmas tree lighting went on as planned thanks to a generator and eager crowds, even though power outages left many businesses and residents in the dark for the night.

High winds earlier in the week knocked down trees and damaged property all across Northern California, leaving utility crews scrambling to repair a number of downed lines. Thousands of customers in Tuolumne County were still without power late Friday night.

"It's a way of life, you know," said Twain Harte resident Donna Snell. "Comes with the territory up here."

A few restaurants managed to keep their doors open thanks to portable generators, including the China House restaurant, which had enough power for the kitchen but used LED lights on the tables.

"We gotta get extension cords, we gotta get the generator, ice everything up, keep going," said restaurant owner Larry Nieh.

The damaging wind gusts also overturned a tree into a main canal, triggering a water conservation alert from county officials.

There is no immediate estimate for when power will be restored to all residents.