Decorating for the "Festival of Lights"

Our 'job' at Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park is getting ready for the annual "Festival of Lights".  

From the Stephen Foster CSO website
http://www.stephenfostercso.org/

which is an amazing celebration that occurrs each December, this year December 5-31, 2014.  

Replacing a broken light strand
on a rather chilly morning

This is the 20th annual "Festival of Lights" but our first... so we are learning what to expect.  The anticipation is for light displays, winter scenes, bonfires, roving musicians, hot cider, hot chocolate, pop-corn, songs, stories, and cool weather.  

Repairing the bears!

Now for this to happen requires 4-5 million lights, many feet of extension chord, more power cords than you can imagine.  

Marg in the high lift
building the red pole tree

To get ready for the event we have been hanging lights in trees, building pole light trees, making a light tunnel, helping with the ugly tree, moving log seats, cleaning the grounds, setting up light displays, setting timers, and replacing light bulbs.  

Bill prepping light strands for the tree

The pole trees are a blast to build and to date we built one jumbo tree (red tree), four big trees, and four small trees.  The first five require the high lift while small trees are manageable from the ground or with a short ladder.   

Michelle in casual attire
as she approves of the Red Pole Tree

Then we need fire wood, bonfires, candy canes and more.  And it all starts with the park manager, Michelle Waterman, who coordinates this massive effort to make the park "pretty".

Craft Area, Sponsor's Reception