Posted: 7:00 a.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015
Light Up Middletown
gears up for 17th season
By http://www.journal-news.com/staff/rick-mccrabb/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN —
Organizers
of a holiday drive-through lights display at Smith Park
hope attendance continues to grow this year.
Light
Up Middletown attracted more than 74,000 visitors last year, an increase of 19
percent from 2013, organizers said. The total attendance and the daily average
(2,115) both were all-time records for Light Up Middletown, which started in
1999.
While
the number of visitors has risen, those guests are coming from outside Butler County.
In 2010, more than 66 percent of the visitors said they resided in Butler County,
but last year the percentage dropped to 59. More visitors from Montgomery County
are driving to Middletown
every year, organizers said.
This
year’s Light Up Middletown, the 17th edition, begins Nov. 26, Thanksgiving
night, and runs through New Year’s Eve. The display is open every night from 6
to 10 p.m., regardless of weather, including holidays. The display has only
closed twice in its 16-year history due to inclement weather.
Admission
to the event is by donation and proceeds are used to purchase new displays,
make repairs to the displays and add electrical service at the public park,
said Florella Randall, founder of Light Up Middletown. The storage barn also
was expanded with proceeds from last year to allow a place to keep the
displays, said Barney Strassburger, site manager.
Of
the 74,039 people who drove through the display last year, the average donation
was 80 cents per person.
In
the first 16 years, Light Up has seen more than 800,000 visitors to Smith Park.
The display also has been the site of several engagements and a wedding or two,
organizers said.
The
Grandpa Gang, a group of about 20 community volunteers, have begun erecting the
light displays throughout the park.
There
are several special events planned this year during Light Up Middletown.
The
annual hot air balloon glow is set for 7:15 to 8 p.m. Dec. 3, weather
permitting. Santa and Mrs Claus will be on hand to talk to children from 7 to 9
p.m. every Friday and Saturday through Christmas. Photos are available at $10
each or two of the same pose for $15.
As
guests enter the park, volunteers from area non-profit organizations; Middletown
High School Musical Arts, Boy Scout Leaders/Parents, Bulls Run Arboretum, and
American Association of University Women, will ask where guests are from and
how many people are in the vehicle. They will also distribute a brochure with
coupons and advertisements from area restaurants.
Follow
Light Up Middletown on Facebook or at www.lightupmiddleteown.org.
HOW TO GO
WHAT: Light Up Middletown,
a drive-through holiday light display
WHEN: 6 to 10 p.m. daily, Nov. 26 through Dec. 31
WHERE: Smith Park,
located at Tytus Avenue
and Verity Parkway,
downtown Middletown
COST: By donation
A Big Thank You to all the volunteers who light up our holiday season.
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