Have you ever seen dancing lights?
Last night, my family and I took a 30-minute road trip north to Sharpsville to see the computerized light display set to music. This impressive light display consists of 120,000 lights spread over two acres and is controlled by 352 computer circuits.
When we pulled up, it was a during a small talking point in the show and I’m not going to lie – at very first glance I thought, “we drove here for this?” Within seconds my thoughts changed from that to “Wow!”
It didn’t take long to realize it was well worth the trip.
We had our radio turned to 99.1 FM as the big sign suggested. As the music played, the lights turned on and off to the beat of the sound. It was like they were dancing. The kids watched in amazement and kept asking me to stay for one more song.
Nobody else was there when we first arrived. As we sat there for a few minutes, more and more cars pulled up around us. The light display sits next to a main road, so I left on my headlights and put on my hazard lights – just to be safe.
As the cars pulled up, it became obvious that I was a newbie and these people knew what they were doing. They turned off their headlights immediately and nobody dared turn on their blinkers. I guess I was adding a light show of my own to the display. Upon realizing this, I turned off all of my lights too and felt like one of the crowd.
We sat there for quite awhile “oohing and ahhing” over the twinkle of the lights. The longer we stayed, the more detail we noticed – including a super cool hologram of Santa Claus moving around, waving and watching from the window.
If you would rather see the real Kris Kringle (and not just the hologram version) then stop by on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday when Santa comes for a visit in his sleigh. He also is there the Monday through Friday before Christmas. Rumor has it, he sometimes brings his elves along. While you are there, have your picture taken with Mr. Claus for free and then download the free photo from sharpsvillelights.com.
The 45-minute show consists of 10 songs that vary by day of the week. For a listing of the songs that are played each evening, visit their website. Because it was a school night and was getting late, we were not able to stay for the entire show. Next time I will plan accordingly so that we can enjoy the entire program from start to finish.
If you are able to stop by this weekend, December 16 and 17, not only will you get to see Santa – you will also be treated to some free Christmas goodies (cookies, coffee and hot chocolate) provided by members of the Sharpsville United Methodist Church from 6:00pm-10:00pm. And the best thing is you don’t even have to get out of your car. Just drive down to the church, located two blocks east of the display at 204 North Grayson Street, then go to the drivethru on the north side of the building. Your goodies will be served right to your car.
In the true spirit of Christmas, donations are being collected to support charities in Howard and Tipton Counties including WeCare and Tipton Jubilee Christmas. To date, during the 2016 show, $1,033.00 has been collected. Â They also promote the spirit of Christmas by encouraging others to Pay it Forward. On their website you can hear stories and watch videos of others who have Payed it Forward this holiday season with random acts of kindness.
The show runs Monday through Thursday from 6:00pm-10:00pm and Friday through Sunday from 6:00pm-11:00pm now thru Friday, December 30. They also offer the extended hours of 6:00pm-11:00pm from December 21-25.
The incredible light display is dedicated to the Veterans, past and present, who serve our country. While you are visiting, be sure to check out the Veteran’s Memorial that sits next to the display, in honor of these great men and women.
Address: 422 West Meridian Street, Sharpsville
Some people drive around chasing tornadoes – my family and I like to drive around hunting for Christmas light displays. It is such a fun, relaxing and oftentimes FREE way to enjoy the holiday season together. I would love to hear of more awesome displays in the Indianapolis area. Please comment below, or email [email protected] and let me know where my next stop will be!
Jennifer Thompson is a stay-at-home mom of four spunky, sweet, kind and sometimes a bit wild children. She has a passion for the written word and thinks that libraries and bookstores are the coolest places ever. When not hanging out with family or writing, she can be found enjoying a good cup of coffee, running, spending quality time with friends, working on some type of project around the house, planning the family’s next trip to her favorite destination – Walloon Lake, Michigan, or very possibly – reading a book.
Jennifer enjoys writing about her parenting experience and outings with her children for Indy’s Child as a freelance writer and blogger and also keeps a personal blog, www.trulyyoursjen.com, that she has fun writing when time allows.
