RAPID RIVER, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Delta County community has come together to make spirits bright this holiday season.
Masonville Township Park was aglow Saturday evening during Lights in the Park, hosted by the Rapid River Business Association. Now a tradition in its fifth year, it began as a drive-through display to bring people together during the pandemic.
“It started out with $200 in the bank,” said Business Association member Bobbi Ryan. “We thought this was going to be very simple, just throw some lights in the trees and whatever. The community responded so well.”
Guests can drive or take a hay ride through the display. They can stop at the pavilion to enjoy concessions, warm up, and meet Santa Claus.
Many of the displays guests will see are courtesy of local businesses. Ryan says more and more get involved each year.
“Mel’s Donated the straw bales,” she said. “Enbridge, we qualified for a large grant from them that’s going to make next year even better. It’s like everybody coming together. It’s awesome.”
Making the park shine this brightly requires thousands of lights and miles of extension cords. As the event grows, organizers are finding ways to help the displays withstand the weather.
“We’re trying to get away from the inflatables because they don’t last,” said Ryan. “Last year, it rained every single Saturday and we lost a lot of them. We’re trying to go with more static displays, which is really evident this year. There’s lots of lights out there.”
It wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of volunteers.
“We started in early November, usually on the Saturdays,” Ryan said. “Many, many hours and lots of volunteers, but we could always use more volunteers.”
While it is an evening of holiday fun, it’s also a chance to do some good. In place of an admission fee, guests are asked to bring a donation for a local food pantry.
“It’s grown into two trailers full of food to Calvary, the local food bank, and then next week Stuff a Blue Goose will be here,” said Ryan. “It’s an opportunity for kids in the pavilion to fundraise for their senior trip or whatever, so they run concessions.”
Ryan says Lights in the Park is a testament to what can be accomplished by a small town with a big heart.
“For me, Christmas is always about lights,” she said. “I don’t care about the rest of it; I just want lights. I think especially when it started, there was a lot of people that couldn’t do Christmas for different reasons—financial or whatever. The food is important and the getting together is important, and we do better together. We can’t do it without them, and we wouldn’t want to.”
This year’s final Lights in the Park is scheduled for Saturday, December 21, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, click here.
