10 years of Celebration of Lights: searching for volunteers and funds

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

For the past 10 years, when the clock strikes midnight and most Canadians are ringing in the new year on Jan. 1, industrious Strathmore resident Rose Hamrlik is already preparing the groundwork for the upcoming Celebration of Lights Christmas Park and Family New Year’s party.
With many hats to choose from, Hamrlik logs thousands of hours in overtime coordinating volunteers and events, decorating, building displays, finding sponsors, and collecting raffle items.
Despite the efforts of roughly 50 volunteers who lend a helping hand every year, volunteer hours and monetary donations took a nosedive, while interest and attendance climbed.
Therefore, along with this year’s milestone birthday – 10 years since a Merry Christmas sign turned into a well-attended sought-after event – the demand for more participation is growing.
“A lot of our volunteers are the same ones every year, and a lot of them are getting up in age,” said Hamrlik, chairperson of the Celebration of Lights Christmas Park. “We’re coming out with boxes that are huge, full of stuff, and they have to be moved, and you have to check every single light strand there is. It’s miles and miles of cords and extension cords.”
In 2007, then Strathmore and District Agricultural Society General Manager Steve Grajczyk noticed that the lonely Merry Christmas sign hanging from the fence at the society’s grounds was spelled incorrectly. Determined to rectify the situation, he approached Hamrlik with an idea of a Christmas park and a vision of one million light bulbs strung up over 25 years.
Together with her husband, Dennis, and some volunteers, Hamrlik gathered all her countless Christmas decorations and bedecked the playground at the Strathmore and District Agriculture Society’s grounds. Three years later, as attendance began to grow to more than a couple hundred individuals on opening night, the festivities took over the park, added a couple tents, fire pits, hot chocolate, and fireworks.
As one of Strathmore’s biggest attractions – aside from the Strathmore Stampede and Heritage Days – over 25,000 patrons visit the park from the last Saturday of November until mid-January.
“They have done a fantastic job and I feel that they never get enough support,” said Steve Grajczyk. “They got together and ran with it and from there on the town helped out and it’s been growing every year. It makes a better place for young kids and families, it creates a real festive season throughout Christmas, and the young and old alike love it.”
However, behind the scenes, Hamrlik and her group of volunteers have faced their share of challenges. As nearly everything is handmade, the organizers continue to try to find more construction panels to build on their displays. So far nobody has stepped up to donate the materials, and costs haven’t been favourable. The older lights have a two to three-year shelf life and require constant replacement. In the past, the CFR Chemicals Bisons players also used to donate their time to help set up the park, but with their move to Airdrie the park lost manpower. Most memorable, however, was the vandalism that plagued the grounds last year. Damage was done to the Santa Claus, a $500 soldier statue, the sleigh, all nine reindeer were destroyed beyond repair, both tents were slashed and the contents inside were knocked over. The rubber feed-line to a big propane tank was also cut with its contents leaking into the air. It took extra funds from the town, donations from community members, and much work to still have the gates opened on opening day – only a week after the incident.
While the Strathmore Lion’s Club and the Town of Strathmore contribute financially – the Celebration of Lights is under an umbrella of the Strathmore Lions Club – the park relies on fundraising and raffles, where the money is then cycled back into the Celebration of Lights Christmas Park and Family New Year’s party.
While numbers are lower than in the past, Hamrlik is confident the event’s 10-year anniversary will be just as successful as the event has been in previous years.
“It was to bring back the spirit of families, so it became a tradition again and people had somewhere to go and play and forget about things,” she said. “And yes, there is a Santa Claus.”
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating toys or items for raffles can contact Hamrlik via email (rose@strathmoretimes.com).