27 years of Winterland magic: Danville’s holiday tradition
Danville, Ind. (The Republican) — Danville’s Winterland has been bringing light to people’s lives for 27 years now. And the partnership between the Greater Danville Chamber of Commerce and the Parks Department is what keeps the magic alive.
“Over the years, we just kind of built the brand together and tried to do everything as a team, and I mean that’s why it’s lasted for so long,” said Will Lacey, Assistant Town Manager and Parks Director.
With longevity has come growth for Winterland, according to Lacey. “It started out with just like maybe 10 or 15 displays, and now we have like, 130 and more coming.”
The growth does not stop with the display, with more lights, Winterland has seen more people too.
Kelly DiBenedetto, Executive Director of the Chamber explained,“There’s a lot of people that just are seeking these drive-thru light shows…it’s been a great thing for us.”
Plus, “that’s bringing people to our community,” she added. “Then they’re going to go eat in our community, they’re going to buy gas in our community. They’re going to stop at Danville Dips…it fills kind of that economic piece for our community as well.”
While sometimes change and growth come with time, Winterland’s success is equally as much a result of the hard work that goes into it. Though the light show is open for just over a month, the preparation begins earlier in the year.
“We usually have a July meeting where we’re talking about Christmas, just to make sure. And then about August, I start ordering stuff. September, we start organizing and checking lights. October, we start putting it out,” Lacey said.
Despite the holiday spirit coming early for Lacey and his staff, this year’s official Winterland festivities don’t begin until Friday, November 22nd. From then, Winterland will be open daily until December 28th, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sunday through Thursday the lights can be enjoyed from 6 to 8 p.m, and 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We’re lucky for our community to have something like that,” Lacey concluded.
This article was originally published in The Republican.