Witness the tale of our very first Christmas running the Christmas Carnival of Lights show. Available in text and audio.
It was 2009 when snow fell like candied sprinkles amongst the rooftop of a wee little garage at Jellystone Park™ in Caledonia, WI. The Isaacson family was filled with Christmas cheer and an abundance of hope to make a Christmas light show that would wow their neighbors and provide work to their employees year round. The Christmas Carnival of Lights has always been a labor of love. Wonder peaked as each family member bounced around ideas for cool and unique props and displays for their first show. With a wee budget to match the tiny garage their production started in… the family had no choice other than to turn to creativity and resourcefulness.
What was once parts of an old jumping pillow turned into a drum set featured among the many children’s toys in their first light show. It goes to show that anything is possible with a little bit of imagination and magic in the air.
The night before the first opening of the Christmas Carnival of Lights, the Isaacsons struggled late into the night to keep their eyes wide open while Scott programmed the lights that danced with the music.With excitement ringing, the clock struck midnight and most of the family fell asleep. At 3am, Scott put on his best bellowing voice and woke everyone up to watch the lights dance to the music. The Isaacson family, still in a state of holiday slumber, made their way onto the roof of the Ranger Station to enjoy. As tired as they were, the youngest and the oldest of the Issacson family alike, they all felt like kids on Christmas morning seeing it all come together for the first time.
“Looking back, we learned so much from that first year and our light show has evolved so much since then. We are very proud of where we started because we were so happy to offer family and other dedicated employees year round jobs. Who would've thought we would have a 1.6 mile long light show with over 2 million lights packed with technology and so much creativity.”
- Daughter and Owner, Bridget Bender
What has changed the most since the early years is technique, creativity and the amount of technology we now use. We have entire sections covered in 100,000 or more lights that all move to the beat of the music. It creates so much energy and a fun dynamic of the light show. Depending on what songs you hear, you may get different programming at a certain place of the light show. You could drive through and visit 3-4 times and find things that look all new to you.
We will see you for our new and ever-improving 12th year of the Christmas Carnival of Lights.