HOT PURSUIT

It’s labeled as America’s largest free walk-through lighting display.

For the past 22 years, Bentleyville’s Tour of Lights has dazzled downtown Duluth. I took a road trip there this past weekend, along with my daughter and mother. It’s one of those unforgettable holiday experiences that warms your heart.

Bentleyville offers free admission to all guests, along with complimentary hot cocoa, coffee, cookies, freshly popped popcorn (my favorite) and marshmallows for roasting. There is a small fee for onsite parking.

I thought it would be interesting to share a few fun facts about this amazing display.

More than 6 miles of rope light is used with 5 million lights illuminating displays and trees. It takes over 12,000 extension cords to keep everything shining brightly.

It takes eight weeks to set up the display. This year volunteers began setting up on Sept. 20. More than 36,000 hours of volunteer time is needed to set up and operate Bentleyville, which runs every day through Dec. 26.

As for the goodies, 4,000 pounds of popcorn, 350,000 cookies and 15,000 pounds of hot chocolate are handed out free. Don’t forget the 134,000 marshmallows that are roasted over four semi-trailer loads of wood in fire pits throughout the duration. You can purchase graham crackers and chocolate bars to make yourself a smore or two.

Santa even gets involved. There is a naughty or nice list where names can be added weekly for Santa to keep a close eye on.

In all, the display is operated on a budget of about $700,000 through private donations.

Bentleyville is an outdoor event so dress for cold weather conditions, especially with the wind blowing off Lake Superior.

It’s always a special time for our family to enjoy. We always make a fun evening out of it with holiday music to get us in the Christmas spirit, both during the display and while traveling to Duluth. My dad always loved Christmas, and I remember how in awe he was of Bentleyville a few years back before he died.

This dazzling display is a fun reminder of the joy ahead over the next month. Owatonna’s annual Holiday Parade featuring 80 parade units all with holiday lights and cheer will be next Friday, Dec. 5. It’s a wonderful time to make magical memories with your family.

If outdoor displays aren’t your thing, there certainly are plenty of holiday ventures and concerts to take part in while indoors. Some of the special activities are highlighted in our Community Events page on 12B.

Don’t forget we’re offering Santa’s mailbox for kids to send letters at our Owatonna office. We’ve even learned that Santa may respond to the letters prior to Christmas. Children bringing in a letter will get a free treat.

I hope you will take some time this holiday season to share it with your loved ones. There is nothing more magical than being with family members during a season of love, peace and joy.

Good luck while you go in hot pursuit of finding holiday magic in your life over the next month.