Christmas Light Displays

Two not-for-profits light up the winter darkness

As the sun dips much earlier on the horizon this time of year, two attractions plan to illuminate the holiday season in a big way. They’re literally highlights, with a huge emphasis on the lights part. 

One of them, Borealis Lights, a major fundraiser for the St. Albert Kinsmen Club, plans to plug in for its sophomore staging with a drive-through panorama of installations in the organization’s RV park. The inaugural event in 2022 required some 800,000 LED bulbs. This year, Edmonton-based CLG Lights, which set up the attraction, estimates they’ll use nearly a million bulbs.

“We have more lights, more displays, and a slightly longer route,” said CLG co-founder Scott Matthews. To accommodate those additions, the company added a few curves in the route in the parking lot. Drivers who chugged through the 2022 circuit took roughly 25 minutes to complete the grand tour. The latest rendition will take closer to a half-hour to see all the installations.

The Boreal Lights entrance itself will be decked with more lights, another change in this year’s itinerary, while larger displays that previously wowed patrons will still provide motive for folks to take in a return visit this season.

“They’re so big, that they just can’t help but be impressive. Overall, those ones sort of really pop, but then it’s just the accumulation of all of it in one spot. In some ways, you have to go through it more than once just to see everything.”

CLG co-founder Scott Matthews.

What’s mandatory for Matthews is a drive-through to inspect the results of six weeks of installation involving a crew of eight. While it might be thrilling to preview the visual impact of those efforts, he still maintains a critical eye.

“It’s like a lot of artists who look at their work after, and you’re looking for imperfections and where you can improve it, like how many lights are out, making sure it’s working, and if the experience is going to be there as the cars go through,” he said. “Will they be able to see what you want them to see? You want to ensure the displays are visible 
and oriented right.”

In 2022, the inaugural staging of Borealis Lights raised $23,300 for its Kinettes Christmas Hamper drive, which supported 300 families, according to Kyla Mandrusiak, president of the St. Albert Kinsmen Club. “Last year, being the first year, it was a huge event,” she added. “It helped since after Covid, things were a lot tighter for people.”

Hopes are that Borealis Lights will raise $25,000 for the cause, enough to support 310 families. The Kinsmen Club will also be working with the city’s food bank and the Salvation Army throughout the attraction’s run.

Smaller in scale, but no less ambitious, is Lighting the Way, a major funding stream for the St. Albert Sturgeon Hospice Association (SASHA). Its fourth annual drive is geared towards not only bringing joy to residents of the Foyer Lacombe facility afflicted with life-limiting illnesses, but also supports the programs offered by the organization.

“It really truly means a lot to everyone staying both in hospice and in long-term care at that facility, just to be able to see the lights over our long dark winters. This just looked like a great way for our community to come together and show their support.”

Zoe Spaans, SASHA’s interim executive director.

Spaans estimates that up to 50 trees on the Mission Hill surroundings could be decorated for this season, which includes 20 community trees made possible by folks who each donated $10 to buy bulbs for those trees, an additional 20 from individual and business sponsors, and a handful of other decorated trees made possible by other community efforts. “Our long-term goal is to get that whole Mission Hill lit up,” Spaans added.

Lighting the Way is free to visitors and SASHA puts in a lot of effort to ensure each tree can be seen up close. “We clear the pathways around the trees, and it’s a wonderful place to come any time during the winter when the lights are on, to just reflect and look at the lights,” said Spaans. “The goal is just to have people to have somewhere to go and remember their loved ones, but even if you haven’t contributed, it’s just really somewhere pretty to go on those dark winter nights.”

Although the fundraiser outsources the actual decorating of the trees, the rest of the campaign is volunteer-run. SASHA’s goal is to collect $30,000 from contributors with all the money going to its programs. Contributors won’t be able to donate at the Lighting the Way site, but are encouraged to do those transactions on its website.

Borealis Lights, 47 Riel Dr.

• Nov. 17-Jan. 7  |  Open 5 p.m.-9 p.m. 
(5 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday & Saturday & Dec. 20-Jan. 1)
• $32 Regular Admission  |  $27 Students & Seniors
Group rates available
• borealislights.ca

Lighting the Way, 1 St. Vital Ave.

• Nov. 16-Jan. 31  |  Special light-up ceremony Nov. 16, 6 p.m.
• Free Admission
• sasha-cares.com/lighting-the-way-2023