Lights!

This evening I drove through the Wayne County Lightfest, a light display in Hines Park. This park is the floodplain of the Middle Rouge River and is 17 miles long. During weekdays Hines Drive is a good commuter route from Northville to Dearborn because there are few cross streets. Once on a person can cruise for a few miles. When rain comes the drive is closed. Parts of it are also closed on Saturdays in summer to encourage bicycle use. And I try to, though not every week. Starting at least 20 years ago the park and the electric company started putting up a light display in a four mile segment of the drive. Five dollars per car is a pretty good deal. The display is active from mid November to New Year’s Eve. I don’t go before Christmas because I figure the line is too long. I didn’t go the last couple years because I was traveling between Christmas and New Year. I didn’t have a reason not to go this year. So I did. Alas, I did it on a Sunday. The line was long. On entering the park we’re told to form two lanes (one on the actual road the other on the shoulder) then directed west about a mile before looping around and coming east that same mile. I was on the shoulder lane. For a while my lane went faster. That changed once we did the loop around. I guessed the reason and was right – there were two pay stations for that lane and one station for my lane (and it was on the opposite side of the car). I was in line for 45 minutes. Since I last saw the lights (though it may have started sooner) it looks like the incandescent bulbs have been replaced with LEDs. They are brighter and have a much greater variation in color. There are also more of scenes, though some I remember from the first year. Each scene outlines objects and figures in lights. Some “move” by turning some lights off and others on. They depict practically everything associated with Christmas or winter in Michigan and a few things that aren’t. So there are toys, gift packages, gingerbread houses, skiers, bikers, golfers (this one sits on golf course land), a reindeer stable (though I didn’t see the reindeer flight school this year), a Hanukkah menorah, a Christian nativity scene and giant Advent wreath, a marching band, a patriotic display, and I’m sure I’m leaving stuff out. Rather early in the route we pass through the “Time Tunnel” to the land before Christmas where the displays are of dinosaurs. In all, an enjoyable evening, once one is through the line. Here’s the Lightfest website with pictures towards the bottom. The photo of fireworks is from opening night, though not this year.