MUSCATINE, Iowa–As the darkest month of the year, people often find December dreary. However, Muscatine Parks and Recreation hopes to make the month merry and bright with a new holiday tradition. From Dec. 3 through 26, the first annual Weed Park Festival of Lights will dazzle residents with beautiful displays and warm their hearts as it supports local food pantries.

With the holiday season approaching, Muscatine Parks and Recreation Director Rich Klimes shared that Mayor Diana Broderson approached his department about starting a new holiday tradition to benefit those in need. The suggestion led parks and recreation to come up with the Weed Park Festival of Lights, an event where community groups and organizations will set up displays throughout the park, and area residents can drive through and make a free will non-perishable food donation for local food pantries. “While the mayor encouraged it, we saw a potential opportunity there, but we need the support of the community to make it shine,” said Klimes.

So far, parks and recreation has identified nine good-sized, electrified areas of the park for groups to put up displays, including Weed Park’s Washington Street entrance, the Rose Garden, the Zoo Garden, the Sunrise Shelter, the bandshell, and the Bayer Shelter, among others. If a community group or organization would like to help put up a display in one of these areas, Kilmes invites them to call parks and recreation at (563)-263-0241 or to email them with their ideas. Then, based on what they hear, parks and recreation will either assign the group to decorate an entire spot or pair them with another organization with similar plans to create a large combined display.

Any group wanting more information about putting up a lights display should contact parks and recreation soon, as Klimes estimated about three spots already had takers at the time this article went to press. “I would encourage the community to reach out so we can have those discussions and have the best possible display,” urged Klimes. “Anyone who is interested in getting involved should call–we’re very inclusive.”

On Dec. 3, once all the displays have gone up, parks and recreation will have them on nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., even on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Drivers will enter at the Washington Street entrance and may place their food donation in a clearly marked container, which parks and recreation staff will empty daily. They can then drive through the displays and take their time enjoying each before exiting onto Colorado Street.

With help from the community, Klimes believes the lights will attract visitors from near and far. “This year, we just want to bring people out to the park to enjoy a winter evening.”

If this year’s Festival of Lights in Weed Park proves successful, Klimes hopes to continue it in the future. In years to come, Klimes envisions possibly coming up with themes to unite each of the displays in the park and maybe even holding a contest to honor the community’s favorite display’s of the season.