Is there anything that brings the warm glow indicative of the holiday season better than Christmas lights? As if the time needed any reason to be brighter, millions of lights glow in the dark, making our nights shine with excitement, anticipation, and, yes, pure joy.
In our area, several amazingly festive light displays annually bring that joy to life. They’ve become, or are becoming, a holiday tradition for our community and for our families. And to make the glow even warmer, these lights shine each year to benefit those in need.
At VUE, we invite you to take part in what makes Christmas in our area the brightest—our love for one another, shining the lights, and spreading the true meaning of the holiday season.
Christmas in the Park
From Paducah Power System
Celebrating its 25th year, Christmas in the Park, which lights up Paducah’s Noble Park, is the light display on which childhood dreams of Christmas lights are made. Thousands of intricate light shapes dance as cars drive by. Penguins, elves, polar bears, silver bells, and more Santas than you can count (there is even one piloting a plane)…the light show has it all.
Andrea Underwood, Paducah Power System Director of Human Resources and Community Relations, says that the sponsoring utility is proud that their efforts have become part of the Paducah Christmas tradition, but they are more proud of the impact that the event has.
Over the life of Christmas in the Park, the event has collected close to $800,000 in monetary donations and more than a million pounds of canned goods.
“I don’t know if we could even calculate the thousands of people that have been helped over time with those funds and that food,” she says. “That makes us feel very good about our mission as a public power utility being owned by our customers and having a commitment to support our community. We’re just very proud that we are able to do that.”
This year, donations will be divided amongst Paducah Cooperative Ministry, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Salvation Army, and Family Service Society. Heidi Suhrheinrich, Paducah Cooperative Ministry Executive Director, says that the donations her organization receives from Christmas in the Park each year answer a huge need for the community.
“January traditionally is a difficult time for a lot of people,” she says. “Need requests go up quite a bit. The food that comes in from Christmas in the Park always comes at such a great time to meet that need.”
“We can’t be more grateful for Paducah Power’s hard work on this and the community getting behind their effort.”
For Andrea, she knows that the event is important for people and families at Christmas, but she also knows that it is important for the community as a whole.
“The event itself does a few things each year,” she says. “First, it helps people in need, and it also contributes to the holiday economy in this area because people will come into our community to shop in our stores and eat at our restaurants before seeing the lights. We feel like we are part of the driver for holiday tourism. Christmas in the Park also adds to the culture of the community and the quality of life during the holidays.”
“It makes people happy, and we like being part of that joy.”
See the lights for yourself: Open every night, including the holidays. Located at Noble Park in Paducah. Sunday – Thursday 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Donations of canned goods or cash are accepted at the gate or online at www.PaducahPower.com.
Let it Glow Light Show,
By Discovery Park of America
Discovery Park of America, the impressive museum and heritage park in Union City, Tenn., is adding a walk-thru experience to its popular “Let it Glow” Christmas drive-thru light show for the 2021 holiday season. “Let it Glow” is a significant annual fundraiser for the 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Returning in 2021 is the popular drive-thru light show that allows cars to slowly drive around the 50-acre heritage park as they experience more than a million twinkling lights synced to the beats of popular Christmas songs. Guests get a unique look at a Titan Missile, the outside of the 199-foot-tall Discovery Center, a settlement of log cabins, and more, all decorated for the holidays.
Entry to the “Let it Glow” walk-thru will take place through the park’s north gate, which will be transformed to the “North Pole Gate” during the seven-week fundraiser. The Japanese Garden, European Garden, and Mill Ridge will all be transformed into a glowing winter wonderland with plenty of opportunities for taking photographs throughout the decorated grounds. Once guests arrive at Mill Ridge, they will find food and beverage for sale, a shop that includes local hand-made gifts, a stage for those who want to perform their favorite Christmas carols, and a lot of holiday surprises to explore.
The “Let It Glow” drive-thru light show is sponsored by McDonald’s, and the walk-thru is sponsored by ATA.
See the lights for yourself: Both the “Let it Glow” drive-thru and walk-thru are open 5-9 p.m., Friday, Nov. 12-Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, and closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Admission to the drive-thru is $10 per vehicle, $25 for 15-passenger vans, and $50 for school buses/charter buses. For those who enjoy taking their vehicle through multiple times during the holiday season, a discount card is available for $100 that allows for admission 11 times.
Christmas in the Park Light Show
By Mike Miller Park
For more than two decades, the Christmas in the Park Light Show has been providing a staple holiday outing for families from Marshall County and the surrounding region.
Marshall County Parks Department Director Britney Hargrove remembers going with her family when she was young, and she says they are proud to be part of a tradition for so many.
“Mike Miller Park has been part of family traditions and holiday traditions for many, even people that come in from out of town to visit family here for the holidays,” she says. “That’s something we take a lot of pride in.”
“We love to keep some of those classic light displays that have been around forever that you can reminisce and see those same lights, but we love to add new and fun and exciting things every single year.”
On tap this year is the return of the Grinch of Mike Miller Park. Visitors to the park on the weekends can try to spot the Grinch in the park, who is threatening to steal Christmas.
“We need everyone’s help to save Christmas at Mike Miller Park,” Britney says. “If you spot the Grinch while you are there, take a picture and post it to social media with the hashtag #TheGrinchatMikeMiller, you’ll be entered to win weekly prizes.”
And brand new this year, Britney and her team have worked closely with Santa to house an Elf at Mike Miller Park. “Santa has sent a life-size Elf out to our park this year, and he will be moving around every day much like the elves that you have in your homes, and he’ll be getting into all kinds of mischief too.”
Britney says her team has various school-sponsored nights in the park lined up, visits with Santa Claus, and even a choir singing.
“No matter what night you want to come to the Light Show, we want to make sure there is something new and different and another aspect of Christmas that you can take in.”
Her maintenance team has even hand-crafted some new custom light displays for this year’s event.
Being a fun and twinkling tradition for the area is not even the most exciting part of the Light Show, according to Britney. Her team, she says, is proud to be a part of giving back to those in need. Last year, the event collected 14,500 food items and $36,405.37 in monetary donations that were split evenly amongst the charities in partnership with the event. This year, there are 18 local non-profits that will benefit from donations.
“Christmas in the Park Light Show is a great way for families to do something together that is about Christmas but also combines with a way to teach their kids about giving and all the different non-profits that are out there,” she says. “I think it’s a great conversation starter and a great way for families to refocus for a minute on the heart of Christmas and what it means in that spirit of giving.”
“We are very proud that we are able to create an event that combines those two—the spirit of giving and the fun of Christmas all in one place.”
See the lights for yourself: Open until December 30, the park opens daily at 5:00 p.m. and closes at 10:00 p.m. Follow the Mike Miller Park Facebook Page or visit www.MarshallCountyParks.org to track fun activities happening nightly at the Light Show.
