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HOLIDAY LIGHT DISPLAY’S UNVEILING DRAWS CROWD

By Larry Fugate/Special to The Commercial
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 8:43 AM CST

The 1.2 mile of lights that make up the Enchanted Land of Lights and Legends Christmas light trail were turned on Tuesday evening at Regional Park to officially kick off the holiday season.

The White Hall High School marching band serenades the crowd with the sounds of Christmas Tuesday evening during the opening of the Enchanted Land of Lights and Legends at Regional Park. Pine Bluff Commercial/Ralph Fitzgerald

Flood waters that covered many of the displays from mid-October to earlier this month delayed the work of volunteers, but didn’t cast a jinx on the 13th annual display.

The White Hall High School marching band was in place well before the lights were switched on by Dr. Tom Agerton, longtime dentist and member of the Pine Bluff Festival Association, as KATV Channel 7 broadcast the ceremony live. Pine Bluff Transit brought in two loads of marchers who walked behind the band.

Greg Gustek, director of the association, said Lake Langhofer along the Arkansas River had been up some 11-feet, but fell enough to give the workers and volunteers time to replace 9,500-10,000 lights on the more than 200 lighted displays.

They cleaned the displays and had to replace some of the electrical infrastructure. That’s where the volunteers who work each fall came in handy.

Gustek praised Bryan McPherson and Jim Brown with Jefferson County Adult Probation who had probationers working every day. Park coordinator Will Smith received aid from members of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff baseball team, who helped Smith set up some of the displays.

Members of the Pine Bluff Street Department and Parks and Recreation Department brought in equipment to help with the heavy lifting, a chore they have perfected over the years, Gustek added.

Wanda Bateman and Ed Thompson were waiting at the end of the trail Tuesday to hand out candy canes to the children and brochures about the lights, plus collect donations for the association. The two have volunteered one or more nights each season for more than seven years.

“Without the volunteers and the board of the non-profit festival association, this wouldn’t happen” Gustek said. “We have board members who come out to help long after they have retired from the board.”

Gustek estimated the cost of the display this year at $75,000. That includes the cost of electricity, eight new displays that were added, bulbs, replacement costs for equipment damaged beyond repair by the flooding and some upgrades.

He said donations collected by volunteers at the end of the drive through the display don’t cover the cost of the project. The association depends on sponsorships of the displays to pay the balance.

Last year 24,000 to 26,000 vehicles rolled through the lighted trail, and 28,000 to 30,000 are expected this year, Gustek said. Earlier surveys indicated visitors from more than 200 Arkansas cities and towns and 18 states have covered the trail.

Charter bus tours routinely put Pine Bluff on their fall schedule and drive through the displays.

“This means we have people eating in Pine Bluff and staying in motels and hotels because of the Enchanted Land of Lights and Legends,” Gustek said. “That’s economic impact.”

The award-winning trail is open daily from 6 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 31.

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