SANFORD — First came the countdown, and then the lights, casting rivers of color ”“ red, white, blue, green and magenta ”“ onto the downtown waterfall.

The Lighting of the Falls Friday night, a project sponsored by Synergize Sanford, was an informal gathering at the new Gateway Park. The gathering drew families with small children, teens, middle-aged folks and senior citizens, all eager to see the waterfall lit at night.

A cheer went up when the color flooded the cascading water.

Energy drawn from the water in Number One Pond hasn’t fueled textile mills here for many years ”“ but there is new energy in this new city ”“ an energy that is starting to take shape. One attendee said she and her family moved to Sanford 13 years ago and saw the potential then. These days, that potential is starting to come to fruition, she said.

And while drawing new industry to Sanford and Springvale is always at the top of the to-do list, city leaders say that sometimes, other gestures can make a difference too in the hearts and minds of people who live here.

“This is something for us,” said Mayor Tom Cote. And, he promised, it is just the beginning of some new initiatives to spruce up the look of Maine’s newest city. A town for most of its incorporated existence, Sanford became a city in 2013.

The lighting of the waterfall brought color to Sanford; something a sixth grade student told Cote the city needed when he spoke to the class earlier this year.

Cote, who had been thinking Sanford needed a beautification boost, said he and his wife Pam were on their home from a Christmas drive through Kennebunkport and Kennebunk. The lights there, he said, were amazing. As they drove closer to home, there were fewer and fewer lights.

“Sanford looked quiet,” he said.

Not anymore. Cote and others working on the project ”“ City Manager Steve Buck, his assistant Sherry Lord, Parks and Recreation director Marcel Blouin and grant writer Lee Burnett ”“ reached out to Luke Lanigan and his company, Event Lighting Concepts, for advice, options and installation.

On Friday night, as the sun sank into the western sky, the lights came on, casting a myriad of colors on the falls. The mood in the newly created park at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Washington Street was upbeat.

Earlier, little children played catch with a ball, chased each other around the grassy park and danced to some piped-in rock and roll music in the evening light

And what about the park itself, built largely from grant funds and to be enhanced with a comfort station, planters and benches through some community efforts?

“We think its great,” said John and Lucette Longrien, relating they’d chosen Gateway Park as the location to watch Sanford’s fireworks celebrating Independence Day.

Jan McKinney, who lives on Riverside Avenue not far from the park, came to the lighting with her son Daniel.

“It’s a really nice area,” she said, adding she’s hoping for a picnic table or two and some benches.

The lighting was made possible through a grant from the William Oscar Emery Fund, set up years ago to be used for beautification projects. The lights will be able to be seen regularly after sunset, Cote said.

The mayor said his vision for Sanford mirrors that of the City Council ”“ and pointed to the new high school and technical school, a proposed new medical center, a project to bring high speed broadband to the city and the prospect of an amusement attraction in south Sanford.

As to the beautification projects, he told reporters that nearby Central Park is also on the list for a boost.

Rebecca Hayes was at the park with her young family. She, like most, have been driving by watching the progress at Gateway Park.

“To see it up close, it’s beautiful,” she said.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].