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About 45,000 lights are part of the parks’ Winter Nights celebration
YOUNGSTOWN
Pam Bush of Hubbard marveled at not only the decorative lights that filled Fellows Riverside Gardens, but what was used to make some of the decorations.
Bush and about 1,500 to 2,000 others were at the Mill Creek MetroParks gardens Sunday to look the 45,000 lights used as part of the Winter Nights celebration.
“We came because we thought it would be nice to see the Christmas lights and the carolers,” she said. “It was a lot of fun. It’s just adorable. I’m impressed with what I saw. The decorations are my favorite. They’re very clever and beautiful.”
She pointed to an umbrella with disposable plates turned into a light fixture in a gazebo at the park.
Bush was there with her three grandchildren, daughter-in-law, a friend and the latter’s two children.
This was the gardens’ biggest Winter Nights event ever, said Keith Kaiser, horticulture director, who oversees the event.
Last year’s event had about 10,000 to 12,000 outdoor lights. This year, there are 45,000 lights, he said.
There are two more chances to see the free Winter Nights show — from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 21 and 28.
“It’s one of the few times the public can come to the garden and see the magic of it at night,” Kaiser said. “Each year, we expand, and the crowd is great.”
The lights are designed to highlight the trees and plants at the garden, he said.
The D.D. and Velma Davis Education & Visitor Center at the gardens was decorated to look like a giant gingerbread house with the theme carrying over to outdoor portions of the gardens.
Leslie Esarco of Canfield, who was at the event with her husband and three young sons, said her children “liked the lights. We had a good time. The decorations are great.”
Michelle Johnston of Austintown and her daughter, Alyssa, attended the event for the third time Sunday. They brought along Makenzie Bryner, Alyssa’s “BFF,” who was there for the first time. The two 11-year-old girls posed for a picture near a couple of gingerbread people.
“We keep coming back because my daughter loves the lights,” Michelle said. “We love coming out here.”