TICKETS
Advance tickets to Holiday Nights ’ N Lights can be purchased for $ 10 at Elliott Oil Company locations in Ottumwa , Agency , Albia , Batavia , Centerville , Eddyville and Hedrick .
Admission at the gate is $ 12 per car . Buses are $ 20 or $ 1 per person ( whichever is greater ), and season passes are available for $ 45 .
“ That ’ s a job getting him up ,” Frisbee said .
In addition , the popular 200-foot tunnel of lights will still be up as well . “ That ’ s always a favorite ,” Sieren said . Other returning favorites include the 12 Days of Christmas , which got a recent update , and the frog tree with a ribbiting Christmas carol
This year , Frisbee , as well as many of the longtime setup volunteers , are taking a step back . Age is a concern , with most of the core group being in their 70s .
Sieren said instead GOPIP hired a company to do a week of setup starting Oct . 19 . “ They ’ ll have everything done in the areas they can get to ,” Sieren said in early October . “ The campers will be there until Nov . 1 . We ’ re hoping they can get the majority of everything up .”
As the event opens its 16th season Nov . 21 , visitors will see changes in how admission is taken . Normally , nonprofit groups send volunteers to run the admission gate with the event ’ s proceeds being donated back to those same organizations . Instead , a night manager will run admissions Sundays through Thursdays , and weekends will be taken by a night manager and the Wapello County Rural Fire Department . GOPIP is seeking volunteers for holiday nights such as Thanksgiving , Christmas Eve and Christmas . “ Those are always busy . Just busy , busy , busy ,” Sieren said .
“ The idea was that people would pay to come through and then the volunteers , the organization they had were paid for their hours ,” Uehling said , with the money going right back into the community . “ Every year we were always able to pay much more than we had committed to them because we always did very well . I hope it keeps going for a long time .”
“ Unfortunately , volunteers have been cut back this year ,” Sieren said . “ We ’ d love to have them there but we want to keep everyone safe . It ’ s all about giving back , and we can ’ t do that if we don ’ t keep them safe .”
To date , Holiday Nights ’ N Lights has given back more than $ 141,000 to the community .
Hours for the 2020 event are 6-8:30 p . m . Sundays through Thursdays and 6-9:30 p . m . Fridays and Saturdays . The display will be open Nov . 21 to Dec . 30 .
“ It will give people a chance to get outside and have some normalcy ,” Sieren said . “ I know there would be a lot of disappointment if we didn ’ t have it .
“ It ’ s something to do for the holiday time . When they have
Setup has been a volunteer effort in the past . This year , with many of the longtime volunteers in their 70s , a company was brought in in mid-October to do a week of setup . Courier file photo
family members come back , they take them through and they even look forward to going through .”
“ I think it means a lot , not only to our community but seeing cars from out of county and out of state come through ,” Frisbee said . “ You ’ re not going to see another display like that unless you go to Des Moines .”
WE STAND BEHIND What you ’ re standing on .
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EDGE RETAILER
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545 N . Weller • Ottumwa , IA • ( 641 ) 683-4084
Senior Resource Guide 2020 17