Dec. 9, 2009
Oglebay Park Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Winter Festival of Lights
Story and Photos By Sandee Lloyd
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Oglebay Park in Wheeling, WV is celebrating its 25th year of the Winter Festival of Lights.
There are three distinct light shows in the park. The best known is
the Winter Festival of Lights featuring 70+ displays arranged on a driving path
that ranges over 300 acres, with a six-mile drive. The Good Zoo has its own
light show for the third year. The Lighting and Animation Extravaganza takes
place on the patio nightly with over 35,000 LED lights choreographed to holiday
music. Outside the zoo lighted animal figures peek over the fence while blinking
on and off. The third display is the Gardens of Light with 150 hanging baskets
of lights, thousands of lighted flowers and trees, a life-size Nativity scene
and holiday music.
Guiding your drive through the park is Charles Schultz's faithful Snoopy, who along with the other Peanuts characters romp through several vignettes, including Lucy yanking the football away just as Charlie Brown tries for the kick, sending him landing with a colorful "wump."
Schenk Lake boasts a riverboat, fisherman catching and losing a fish, ducks, a lighthouse, and even a twirling ballerina reflecting perfect images in the still water.
There is an animal train, and dinosaurs, lighted tunnels with twinkling snowflakes, clowns, banks of trees covered in blue or green lights; everywhere is something wonderful to see.
On a hillside overlooking the road in the Speidel area is the Cinderella display. Cinderella's golden carriage with a uniformed driver and two footmen, drawn by six magnificent horses, is following the lighted path to the Prince's 30 foot high castle, which sits high on the hill. Off to one side is the pumpkin, surrounded by six cavorting pink mice and two salamanders, and in the center stands the Grandfather's Clock with its hands nearing the midnight hour.
Overlooking everything is the brilliant polyhedron star. Standing 50 feet high it boasts over 2,000 lights and can be seen for over 15 miles.
Another hillside features elegant tall candles surrounded by a poinsettia wreath. There is a church display with real stained glass windows, donated by its designer.
Many displays are animated, thanks to the students from Wheeling Park High School's electronics class who provide the circuits. Dinosaurs move, dragons breathe fire, a present opens to show three kittens popping up, an acrobat leaps to the top of a human pyramid, and many other displays have figures juggling, dancing, leaping and just about anything you can imagine.
Three displays, Playful Pup, Christmas Kittens and the Lighthouse were designed by area schoolchildren.
The park is changing all the displays to energy efficient LED lights, which use 85% less energy than traditional bulbs.
The Gardens of Light is a spectacle not to be missed. Tiny lighted hyacinths line the walkways and circle a beautiful decorated tree. Thirty small trees are lighted in different colors and surround a life-size Nativity scene. The trees are planted in the park after the holiday season. In the greenhouse there is a live poinsettia tree and an array of items for purchase. If you can't get enough of the hyacinth lights, you can buy your own in the gift shop, along with delicate glass ornaments and art glass in a myriad of styles and colors.
The best time to visit is during the week when the crowds are lighter. Admission is $15 per car but is good throughout the season, which ends January 3. There is a separate admission charge for the Good Zoo.
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Story and Photos By Sandee Lloyd
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Oglebay Park in Wheeling, WV is celebrating its 25th year of the Winter Festival of Lights.
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Guiding your drive through the park is Charles Schultz's faithful Snoopy, who along with the other Peanuts characters romp through several vignettes, including Lucy yanking the football away just as Charlie Brown tries for the kick, sending him landing with a colorful "wump."
Schenk Lake boasts a riverboat, fisherman catching and losing a fish, ducks, a lighthouse, and even a twirling ballerina reflecting perfect images in the still water.
There is an animal train, and dinosaurs, lighted tunnels with twinkling snowflakes, clowns, banks of trees covered in blue or green lights; everywhere is something wonderful to see.
On a hillside overlooking the road in the Speidel area is the Cinderella display. Cinderella's golden carriage with a uniformed driver and two footmen, drawn by six magnificent horses, is following the lighted path to the Prince's 30 foot high castle, which sits high on the hill. Off to one side is the pumpkin, surrounded by six cavorting pink mice and two salamanders, and in the center stands the Grandfather's Clock with its hands nearing the midnight hour.
Overlooking everything is the brilliant polyhedron star. Standing 50 feet high it boasts over 2,000 lights and can be seen for over 15 miles.
Another hillside features elegant tall candles surrounded by a poinsettia wreath. There is a church display with real stained glass windows, donated by its designer.
Many displays are animated, thanks to the students from Wheeling Park High School's electronics class who provide the circuits. Dinosaurs move, dragons breathe fire, a present opens to show three kittens popping up, an acrobat leaps to the top of a human pyramid, and many other displays have figures juggling, dancing, leaping and just about anything you can imagine.
Three displays, Playful Pup, Christmas Kittens and the Lighthouse were designed by area schoolchildren.
The park is changing all the displays to energy efficient LED lights, which use 85% less energy than traditional bulbs.
The Gardens of Light is a spectacle not to be missed. Tiny lighted hyacinths line the walkways and circle a beautiful decorated tree. Thirty small trees are lighted in different colors and surround a life-size Nativity scene. The trees are planted in the park after the holiday season. In the greenhouse there is a live poinsettia tree and an array of items for purchase. If you can't get enough of the hyacinth lights, you can buy your own in the gift shop, along with delicate glass ornaments and art glass in a myriad of styles and colors.
The best time to visit is during the week when the crowds are lighter. Admission is $15 per car but is good throughout the season, which ends January 3. There is a separate admission charge for the Good Zoo.
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