WOODSTOCK — Since World War II, an electric star on a small mountaintop has guided Woodstock residents home.

But the star has fallen on hard times. The wooden frame that holds it above Mount Tom’s treetops is beginning to show its age, despite attempts to shore it up.

“There’s been numerous repairs over the years, and we finally realized we really need to do something more permanent so it could be in place for generations to come,” said Jim Giller, a member of the Woodstock Rotary Club, which has been the caretaker of the star since 1985.

This fall, the Rotary Club launched a campaign to raise $120,000 to replace the wooden structure with one made from steel, pour a new foundation and redo the electrical wiring. As of Monday, the group raised $78,000, which includes proceeds from a gala at the Woodstock Inn the first Sunday of November.

“We think we’re well on our way,” Giller said. “Our goal is to finish the fundraising campaign by the end of March with an installation in May, which we anticipate would take approximately two weeks.”

Now that the gala is over, people can sponsor one of the 100 bulbs on the star from $500 up to $5,000; those who do will have their name included on a plaque on the base of the star and at the Woodstock Green.

The star, which can be seen from Woodstock Village, was originally put up by the Woodstock Electric Co. in 1942 to welcome back to town returning World War II veterans.

Charlie English, of Taftsville, saw the star when he returned from the conflict in Korea in 1956.

“I remember coming home by train to White River and then being picked up by parents late in the evening during the Christmas season,” said English, who served in the Army. “Seeing that star for the first time in a few years, it was a very meaningful and touching movement.”

He had been a young boy living on River Street when the star first went up.

“It was really kind of exciting for a youngster at that point to go outside and see it lit almost behind our house; at least, it seemed that way,” English said. “To this day, I think of it as a blessing for our town.”

When the star was first installed, it was lit during Christmastime and again around Easter. Now it is lit in the evening hours from November to April when the clocks change.

The star also provided comfort in more recent times: During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the star was lit every night for around a year, Giller said. That came with a hefty electric bill: $350 a month. Afterward, the Rotary Club switched from incandescent bulbs to LED lights, and now it costs around $30 a month to keep it lit.

One of the residents most enthusiastic about the Woodstock Rotary Club’s efforts to restore the star is Jeffrey Kahn, owner of the Unicorn gift shop in downtown Woodstock. He often hears from visitors who ask about the star’s significance to the town.

“I say, ‘It’s a symbol of warmth and welcoming,’ ” said Kahn, who is also vice chairman of the Woodstock Village Board of Trustees.

Kahn’s one wish with the project is that once the star is complete, it will once again be lit year-round. He is particularly taken in by the warmth from the star’s yellow light, which welcomes him back home to Woodstock when he’s been away.

“I love the star,” he said. “I hope they raise all the funds they need to construct a new version of it, and I will continue to wish upon a star when I see it.”

Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.