Posts Tagged ‘Oglebay Winter Festival of Lights’

Madison Zoladz, a 12-year-old from Wheeling, will have her light display idea come to life for the 2013-14 Winter Festival of Lights at Oglebay.  Her design was selected from over 95 entries in this year’s Festival of Lights New Idea Contest.  “We are looking forward to adding Madison’s design of a Christmas Tree Farm to the Festival of Lights,” said Andy Barger, Director of Planning for the Wheeling Park Commission and Chairman of the Oglebay Festival of Lights Committee.  “It was a very difficult decision.  All the designs were wonderful and we were so pleased to have such a great response.”  In addition to having her design come to life, Zoladz received a $50.00 Oglebay Gift Card and a one-year family membership to the Good Zoo.

 

Charlize George, also of Wheeling, was the winner of the ages 10 and under category with her entry of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge during the Fourth of July Fireworks.  Michelle Orcutt of Logan, West Virginia, won in the adult category with her entry of Santa on Vacation in the Tropics.  Both of these winners received a $25 gift card and a one-year individual membership to the Good Zoo.

 

The designs were reviewed by members of Oglebay’s Festival of Lights Committee and the entries were judged on creativity, colors, originality, appeal to a broad audience, and how well the design would convert to a light display.  The top ten designs will be hanging at Wilson Lodge until March 17.  “We want to thank everyone that participated in the contest,” added Barger.

In 2004 new displays at the Winter Festival of Lights included two special designs by area fourth grade students: “Christmas Kittens” and “Playful Pup”. These displays were the winners of a Festival of Lights New Idea Contest that invited school children to submit ideas for new light displays. We received over 90 entries for new ideas! The “Lighthouse” display was the winner of the next New Idea Contest and was introduced to the show in 2006. It was created by a local sixth grade student.

 

We are having another contest so if you have a great idea enter our Festival of Lights New Idea Contest and your idea could come to life at the 2013-14 Winter Festival of Lights!  All artwork should be 22″x 14″ on standard poster board. (This is one-half of a sheet of poster board). Every entry must have name, age, address, phone number and email printed on the back of the poster. Do not use copyright characters such as Sponge Bob, Cookie Monster, etc. Artwork can be in color or black and white and animation can be included. You can include a written description of your idea but do not use words in your actual display.

 

Artwork should be delivered to the Good Zoo office by January 6, 2013, between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm. The winner will be announced by January 31, 2013. Grand Prize: $50 Oglebay Gift Card, a one-year family membership to the Good Zoo and their idea created into a light display for the 2013-14 Winter Festival of Lights. Prizes will also be awarded to the top entry for ages 10 & under, ages 11-18, and over 18. Everyone that enters will receive one free admission to the Good Zoo in 2013. The top ten entries will be displayed at Wilson Lodge from February 1 to March 17, 2013. All creative concepts become the property of the Wheeling Park Commission.

November 9^th marked the beginning of the 27^th year for the Winter Festival of Lights at Oglebay.  This holiday tradition began in 1985 with just five light displays and landscape lighting covering about 125 acres over a three-mile drive throughout the resort. Since then, the show has grown into one of the nation’s largest light shows, covering more than three hundred acres over a six-mile drive throughout the resort.  Seventy eight larger-than-life light displays are now part of this glowing show.

 

Four years ago, the Winter Festival of Lights entered a new “green” era with the commitment to use energy-efficient LED lights in all new displays and to begin converting all existing displays to LED.  “We are proud to announce that all the displays at the Festival of Lights are now LED!”  said Caren Knoyer, Marketing Director for Oglebay.  “We expected the conversion to take five years so we are actually ahead of schedule.”  LED lights use 85% less energy than traditional bulbs and last five times longer, ensuring that the Winter Festival of Lights will be glowing for another 27 years.

 

The Gardens of Light is located in the Oglebay hilltop and gardens area, and features 150 hanging baskets of light plus thousands of lighted flowers, trees and shrubs, combined with distinctive holiday music.  Knoyer said that the best way to enjoy the Gardens of Light is to take a stroll along the brick path that leads from Carriage House Glass to the Mansion Museum.

 

Carriage House Glass, the first stop on the Gardens of Light tour, features a large selection of decorative glass and other collectibles. Carriage House Glass is also home to the sparkling Oglebay Institute Glass Museum featuring an extensive collection of West Virginia glass and glassblowing demonstrations. The Gardens of Light continues next door to the Visitors’ Center and the new Farmhouse Sweets and Treats Shoppe.  Just outside the Visitors’ Center lies the magical Christmas Tree Garden.  Introduced in 2003, the Christmas Tree Garden consists of 30 live trees decorated with various colored lights.  Situated in the center of the Christmas Tree Garden is the Nativity Display.  The life-size Nativity was designed and created by a local artist, and has been a much-loved display at the Winter Festival of Lights since 1985.

 

The red brick walking path leads from the Christmas Tree Garden to the Greenhouse, Palm Room and Garden Center Gift Shop, where visitors can find live holiday flowers, garden gifts and silk floral arrangements. The final stop on the Gardens of Light tour is the Mansion Museum.

 

The Winter Festival of Lights is one of America’s largest holiday light shows.  It will continue through January 6, 2013.