| Light Up Middletown Attendance Up Slightly |
| Friday, December 12, 2003 1:09:34 PM - Middletown Ohio |
After the first two weeks of its fifth season, Light Up Middletown continues to show increases in attendance. During the first 14 days of the 2003 season, 6,886 vehicles including 16 buses carried 23,114 people through the drive-through light display at Smith Park in downtown Middletown. Vehicle counts remain level with 2002 but because more of the vehicles are buses, there were 309 more individual visitors in 2003. Counts are taken by volunteers from area non-profit organizations who greet each vehicle and ask how many people are in the vehicle and from what county or state they have come to visit Light Up.
Buses touring Light Up Middletown bring senior citizen groups from local retirement villages, school sports teams visiting Middletown for games and several bring tours from the Dayton/Cincinnati metro area for day trips to Middletown where they have lunch at The Manchester Inn, tour Bern’s Greenhouse and Garden Center and see a performance of the Rising Phoenix Theatre production “Taking Christmas to the Troops” before they swing through Light Up Middletown as they return to their home base. Other groups come from more distance locations such as Chicago and stay overnight in Middletown as a part of a multi-day tour.
Light Up Middletown organizers suggest that anyone wishing to avoid waiting in a line to enter the park should consider visiting on a week night when crowds are thinner and the wait time is far less. Circling through the display is naturally a slow process since everyone wants to take time to fully enjoy each display. Many guests take the time to circle the park two or more times before they exit through the tunnel of lights.
Story Submitted by Ann Mort |
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