Love ‘em or hate ‘em (in which case, stop being such a Scrooge, holiday-hater!), it’s that time of year again: colorful lights and outdoor decorations are brightening up the cold, dark nights in Wichita. Several local non-profit organizations have set up elaborate displays to help raise money, while others are simply dressing up their own homes for fun. Don’t miss the sights at these spots around town during the next few weeks:

• Lights on the Lake at Heartspring (29th Street N. between Rock and Webb): This popular attraction is a fundraiser for Heartspring, a nonprofit that serves children with disabilities. It’s open from 6 to 9 p.m Monday through Thursday and 6 to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Donations are accepted, and visits/photos with Santa are available at the campus’s Hospitality Center.
• Lights on St. Paul at The Arc (2919 W. 2nd St.): Bring your family and friends to see this display, put on by The Arc of Sedgwick County, and you are guaranteed to leave feeling festive and ready for this holiday season. Beginning at the corner of Douglas and St. Paul, the display, in its 12th year, now has over one million lights and runs for a half mile along St. Paul and through the parking lots of The Arc and its neighbor, The Independent Living Resource Center. Volunteers have given countless hours to ensure the musical-timed lights and dancing water fountain will make this year’s lights the best yet. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed and much needed. The Arc supports 7,500 people with developmental disabilities through services of case management, family respite and special projects including day trips, educational seminars and social events. With statewide cuts taking $150,000 from their budget, the proceeds from this fundraiser are more important than ever. The hope this year is that enough money is raised to ensure none of the current Arc programs will be eliminated due to the budget cuts. The festivities begin nightly at 5:30 p.m. and run through 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10 p.m. on weekends and 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Pictures with Santa are available on weekends.
• Illuminations at Botanica (701 Amidon): If you thought Botanica was only a summertime spectacle, you thought wrong. Every November and December, the garden adorns its beautiful walkways with over 4,000 luminaries and showers its walls with 1,000 sparkly lights for the annual Illuminations celebration. Illuminations, which runs from each weekend until Dec. 13, is an evening of fun aimed at families. The display runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. each night. Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for Botanica members and $3 for children.
• Pershing Street: The College Hill portion of this street (from Douglas to 2nd Street or so) is uniformly lit by an arc of colorful lights on each tree. The neighborhood in general has a lot of well-decorated houses, too. On Dec. 13, a trolley will depart from East Heights United Methodist Church from 5:30 to 9 p.m. See the neighborhood in old-fashioned style for $6 per person, or brave the cold and take a walking tour (also departing from the church) with the Wichita Skywalkers for $2 per person.

Are there any over-the-top light displays in your neighborhood? Give us the scoop in the comments.

Image Credit

Related posts:

1. [do] Wichitans’ Holiday Traditions
2. party [snap] – Heartspring’s Lights on the Lake Preview Party
3. [help] Social Media for Social Change
4. Daily [snap] – Botanica
5. Daily [snap] – Botanica