A New Light
FRANKLIN TWP — After becoming a shining success last Christmas season, Shadrack's Winter Wonderland is back for a second year at the Big Butler Fairgrounds on Route 422.
The show, a three-mile drive-through light display that is synchronized with music piped through vehicles' radios, includes comical animated displays such as Santa and his friends vacationing in the Allegheny Mountains. The display, which opened Nov. 18, welcomes visitors nightly, from 6 to 10 p.m., through Jan. 8.
After making their way through the whimsical light display, guests will arrive at Santa's Village, where children can get photos with Santa, sip on hot cocoa and coffee, and snack on food from kettle corn to pizza. Activities, including a rock wall, teacup ride, moonbounce and an obstacle course challenge, are available for a fee.
The additions to the display come after last year's show became the company's best opening show ever, in any market, said Shadrack's spokesman Josh Hawk. Over just one weekend last year — the weekend before Christmas — 1,759 vehicles passed through the light show's gates, the company said. Hawk said keeping the show fresh and people excited to come back are the keys to success.
“It takes the support of the community and changing the show up every year,” Hawk said. “We try to keep it new and exciting.”
Sometimes that takes more than just switching up displays and music for the show. While those things were definitely done this year, Hawk said, the company also worked to respond to criticism leveled at the show after last season. A recurring complaint during and following last year's display centered around traffic jams, which occurred around the fairgrounds and sometimes resulted in hours-long waits for motorists trying to get to or from the Interstate 79 corridor.
Hawk said the company has installed about two miles of access roads near the light show, to try and solve the traffic problems this year.
“We wanted to take care of the people in Butler and make sure they didn't have those problems again,” Hawk said. If they're trying to get to grandma's house or wherever they want to go, we don't want to hold them up.”
The price of admittance to the show is $25 per family car, but those who purchase a 26-week subscription to The Butler Eagle can receive a free pass to the show by calling 724-282-1859 and mentioning the code “CLS.” The offer expires Dec. 31 and is valid only for people who have not subscribed to the newspaper within the past 60 days. People can pick up their passes at the Eagle's production center at 514 W. Wayne St., Butler.
