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The Legacy of Kerwin Doughton Will Be Bright

Kerwin Doughton the founder of the Festival of Lights recently passed away after a fight with cancer. Depsite the pandemic and challenges associated with it, the Festival of Lights continued in 2020 for it's 28th year after starting in 1993. Doughton was a huge proponent of creating and growing the Festival of Lights over the many years it has taken place at River Forks Park. Brian Prawitz who has taken on a leadership role over the last several years with the festival was close to Doughton and really wanted to push for the 2020 festival to continue on. "Kerwin was one of the most generous and ambitious people I have ever known," Prawitz said. "His support and vision for the Festival of Lights has made it what it is today. He cared for Douglas County deeply. He wanted the Festival of Lights to create hope and joy for people. He can rest easy knowing he accomplished that goal for two generations of children over the 28 years of the festival. He is irreplaceable." The festival today includes light displays containing nearly 500,000 lights and Umpqua Valley features that highlight special attractions in the area. Prawitz had this to say back in December when Doughton was still holding on: "Kerwin is the father of the festival of lights, he’s sick, some of the reason we fought to have this was because how much this means to him. He got sick back in May, he has cancer and made it through Chemo. Something is driving him to stay alive, he’s a treasure. We should have a statue out there of him, it was his vision. He mean’s the world to me and a lot of people.”