Hoan Bridge bathed in colorful lights as part of demonstration for 'Light the Hoan' project

A portion of the Hoan Bridge was bathed in colorful lights that "climbed" the arch Thursday night.

The display was part of a demonstration meant to show the potential for a larger scale effort to light the bridge that connects downtown to Bay View and the south side.

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Organizers hope to raise $4 million for the effort, which is similar to bridge lightings in other cities around the country and Canada.

Light the Hoan will use crowdsourcing to raise $1.5 million toward lighting the entire bridge. To date, about $300,000 has been raised.

For a minimum contribution of $25, supporters can finance one of the thousands of LED lights that would adorn the bridge and post a tribute on the lightthehoan.com website. 

On Thursday, about 150 supporters gathered at the Sail Loft, 649 E. Erie St., to watch the temporary lights in action during the Milwaukee Bucks game.

The lights appeared to "climb" the bridge and were programmed to show various color displays and patterns. The lights flashed in unison to celebrate a big Bucks play, and also could have colors coordinated to recognize the various ethnic festivals that take place under the bridge on the Summerfest grounds.

The lights will remain up until Saturday. A goal of the demonstration was to show how the high-tech lights work and spur involvement by businesses or groups to consider making a contribution to the bridge lighting effort, such as "giving" lights to employees or supporters.

Last weekend, a bridge in Memphis, Tennessee, was illuminated for the first time in an project similar to what organizers hope to accomplish with the Hoan.