Kiwanis Holiday Lights begins set up

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - Kiwanis Holiday Lights is breaking out all the displays, lights and cranes to make sure they are ready for their 12th annual holiday light show.

The light show takes around 1,500 volunteers to put up the more than 2 million lights and 200+ displays.

And since it takes five weeks to make the park sparkle and shine, that work gets under way October 26.

Volunteers come from nonprofit organizations, school sports teams and even city employees from Mankato and North Mankato.

A few businesses have even stepped in to help with the show.

“This is really, you know, the area they can take pride in all that they do and help. And it’s people who come on out and help for a morning and then come back through the park and go, ‘oh yeah, that’s the area I helped, or I helped with that display,’ and that’s great. There’s ownership from all these people, and that’s really what you want,” Kiwanis Holiday Lights Vice President Kyle Mrozek said.

One classic aspect of the light show that was up in the air was the driving portion of the show.

But two weeks ago, Kiwanis Holiday Lights got the ‘okay’ from the City of Mankato to still do the drive through aspect of the show.

Opening night is set for November 29 at 6 p.m. As always, there will be a parade featuring floats from all the volunteers that helped put the light show together.

Click here to download the KEYC News Now app or our KEYC First Alert weather app.