Lights on the Lake
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Lights on the Lake
Each year, from late November through early January, the eastern shoreline of Onondaga Lake Park hosts the Lights on the Lake display, a 2 mile long collection of holiday lights that's one of the largest in the northeast. I've seen the lights from a distance as I've driven past the lake on the Thruway over the last 8 years or so, and several years ago Ann and I stopped and drove through on our way back to Rochester. In many ways the Lights on the Lake are a symbol and reminder of the early winter and holiday season, and I always feel a little bit sad when I drive by in mid-January and the lights are gone.
Since we had time between our late lunch and the holiday party we were going to Saturday night, and the park was only a few miles from where we were staying in Syracuse, I suggested that we go see the lights again this year. Each year they add a few new displays, and this year I actually hoped to get some photos using my digital camera. Ann liked the idea, so after getting ready for the party we headed west to see the show.
One thing I hadn't considered until we were almost there was that Saturday a little over a week before Christmas would be a popular time to see the lights. It took us about 10 minutes to get to the entrance to the park, and then another 15-20 minutes to actually get in!
Eventually we had paid our $8 and joined the line of cars making its way slowly through the park. Ann set the radio to the companion station, which was playing Christmas music and occasional advertisements for Lights on the Lake sponsors. We saw lots of displays that we'd seen before, but also quite a few new ones. My favorites tended to be the clever ones that use changing strings of lights to mimic motion - everything from a snowman fishing and catching a Christmas stocking, to kids throwing a snowball, to an eagle flying down and snatching a fish out of the water. I also really enjoyed the animals (no surprise there) and I think in a couple of years the dinosaur section will be really cool (right now there just aren't many displays in that part.)
The rational, ecologically-minded part of me realizes that the Lights on the Lake just don't make sense - they've got to use a ton of electicity, and all those cars idling slowly through the park for hours on end certainly isn't an efficient use of gasoline. At the same time... the lights brighten up a dark and sometimes dreary part of the year and often bring a smile to my face. And I'm not the only one, judging by the little kids we watched going bonkers in the car ahead of us. So they may not make sense - but I look forward to seeing them in the years to come.
JMH
