Deborah Lynn Blumberg

Last year in Lanesboro after a park board meeting, City Council Member Kathryn Wade asked about adding more festive lights to the city’s largest park, beyond the strands already strung around its iconic gazebo. What if the city could transform the park into a true winter wonderland?

Wade envisioned a creative holiday display where residents could stroll, take family photos, and gather with neighbors. A lights display could also draw visitors downtown to shop and dine locally. Wade enlisted resident Anne Happel and Kara Maloney, executive director of Lanesboro Arts, to begin research and look for funding.

“More than anything, we felt like we needed financial support before deciding what exactly to do in the park,” Wade said.

Ten months later, Lanesboro debuted its Legion Lights, a grassroots effort that involved residents of all ages — preschoolers to senior citizens — and turned Sylvan Park into a winter holiday destination. The project earned Lanesboro a League of Minnesota Cities’ 2025 City of Excellence Award.

Small donations add up

The nearly 12-acre Sylvan Park sits between the community center and high school in the heart of Lanesboro. It’s a hub for events, concerts, farmers markets, Buffalo Bill Days, and the annual Art in the Park event, which draws thousands from the tristate region with free live music, food, and family-friendly activities.

To launch the winter wonderland idea, Wade reached out to Happel, who had previously raised funds for prizes in a local snowman contest. Happel created a pitch kit and donation tiers — NorthStar, Snowflake, Candy Cane, Jingle Bell, and Twinkle Lights — with perks like Facebook shout-outs. Maloney joined Wade and Happel on the event’s executive committee and coordinated event activities including holiday-themed games.

The committee set out to raise $10,000. With the City of Lanesboro serving as fiscal sponsor, its grassroots Legion Lights group ultimately brought in about $33,000 through more than 100 cash and in-kind donations. Support came from grants, local businesses, community organizations, and individuals — including former residents, seasonal neighbors, and visitors.

But most of the support came from residents. “It wasn’t all big, hundreds of dollars sponsors,” Happel said. “It was small donations, $50 to $250. The community really came together. All of it added up.”

Nearby displays served as inspiration

To help shape Lanesboro’s display, Wade and Maloney visited the Rotary Lights display in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 2024. Rotary Lights, which marked its 30th year that season, is a free display featuring more than 3 million lights. Organized by area Rotary Clubs, nonprofits, volunteer organizations, and sponsors, it attracts more than 130,000 visitors annually and collects food and cash donations for local charities.

“It was really a great baseline for where to start,” said Wade. She connected with Rotary Lights organizers, who shared insights and guidance.

Lanesboro’s project evolved into a community-based initiative with contributions from all ages. Local students and artists designed displays of snowmen, gingerbread figures, and wrapped gifts. Eric Miehlisch, co-owner of Miehlisch Turkey Farms and part-time welder, volunteered to forge metal displays in his home workshop based off designs by local students and artists. The high school’s industrial tech teacher and students also built candy canes out of PVC pipes.

By October, volunteers were hard at work in Sylvan Park. Residents helped string lights and secure installations with stakes. Electricians donated their time and plumbers donated PVC pipes. The Legion Lights committee reimbursed volunteers for supplies and materials, while a volunteer classroom coordinator distributed funds to prekindergarten through high school classes for each to decorate their own tree in the park. Themes ranged from Charlie Brown to Shrek.

Lights display help boost tourism

As planning continued, Happel crafted social media posts to recognize donors, detailing how they contribute to the community, and to build excitement.

Word of the project spread online and organically, and more people wanted to get involved. Families and groups of friends claimed shelters in the park to decorate, creating displays like a gingerbread house.

“It was small groups that had one specific project to complete,” Wade said. “We felt like we were able to involve so many more people that way.”

The Legion Lights committee officially switched on its lights the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, with a kickoff event held on the Sunday following the holiday. From 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. each evening through Jan. 5, thousands of residents and visitors from neighboring cites strolled through the park to enjoy the lights, spend time together, and create holiday memories.

In addition to the lights, activities included visits and free professional photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, s’mores, hot chocolate stations warmed by a fire, caroling, live entertainment from local choirs and musicians, and games such as pin the nose on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

The Legion Lights event exceeded expectations, said Lanesboro Mayor Alicia Pearson, bringing joy to residents and added support for businesses. It boosted tourism during the November to April off-season by elevating Lanesboro’s visibility as a winter destination, supplementing tourist dollars that come during warmer months of floating and kayaking the Root River, biking the Root River trail, and trout fishing.

“It had an impact,” she said. “Legion Lights got our residents out more, and it brought in tourists. Once you’re here, why not stay and get a coffee or do dinner in town?”

Businesses like Pedal Pushers Café, Paddle On Coffee & Maker Emporium, and Clara’s Eatery reported increased traffic. The local theater also reported higher ticket sales.

Planning around storage and squirrels

With Legion Lights returning in 2025, organizers are working to build on their success. Wade has reached out to past participants about decorating their same spaces again this year, and Happel has applied for five grants and already secured $7,200 through a Christmas-in-July campaign.

Event planning is in progress, and organizers purchased a 12-foot train with money left over from last season. Organizers will also focus on community donations, putting out additional pails where community members can donate cash for good causes. The Legion Lights committee may allocate collected funds to local causes.

Still, organizers are tackling practical challenges. Storage space is limited, electricians are once again essential, and squirrels remain a persistent hazard.

“We ended up with way more stuff than we had storage for without a doubt,” Wade said. Help from local electricians will once again be an integral part of the event this year, she adds. “We need a lot of electricians to help make sure what we do is accessible and keep things safe.” Last year, electricians created a central hub on a timer to control displays.

One word of wisdom, adds Wade, is: “Plan for squirrels.” They chew through wires and that can increase expenses. “Sometimes we found that we just had to give a tree back to the squirrels,” she said. “They weren’t going to let us light it up.”

Start small and involve the entire community

For other cities thinking about launching their own winter wonderland, Pearson’s advice is to start small — even a small amount of money can serve as a solid foundation upon which to build.

“A couple hundred dollars can bring joy to community, and then you can keep stacking on year-over-year, and that can really make a big difference, especially in these rural communities,” she said.

To the extent that communities can, they should lean on residents with special skills to help, including electricians, welders, and marketing professionals. Doing so will cut down on costs, and the spirit of teamwork it fosters brings community members together.

“When you do it yourself, it’s going to be so much more meaningful to everybody involved,” Pearson said.

“The most important thing is really to get as many people involved as you can,” Wade added. “The more people you can involve the happier you will be. People embrace this type of initiative. It brings life to everybody. In Lanesboro, it never ceases to amaze me how much this community will do when it’s called upon.”

Deborah Lynn Blumberg is a freelance writer.