Slideshow: Plans for the new displaysSyracuse (WSYR-TV) – Even though Lights on the Lake is months away, organizers are busy working on changes for this year’s event.
What started out as a short two-block show has grown over the years into a spectacle over two miles long.
Coming up on its 24th year, the show has seen some of its best attendance two of the last three years, including almost 42,000 cars for the 2011-2012 show. But that doesn't mean they're resting on their laurels.
Onondaga County Parks Commissioner Bill Lansley says, “You have to have something new or it’s going to get stagnant and it’s just going to get old and people will gravitate away from it. Every year we put brand new stuff in there, we've got some really spectacular pieces you saw coming this year."
Ideas for some of the new displays come right from the recommendations of show attendees. One of the most popular displays, the Land of Oz, will include a new Oz tornado.
You'll also see a Peter Pan shooting an arrow from one side of the road to the other, and a scene from Beauty and the Beast literally dancing across the display.
The new displays will run almost $40,000.
Lansley says, “The expense seems pretty high but also these are built to last for 20 years and the conditions we have for Lights on the Lake with the wind and snow and ice, these last. This isn't something you're going to find at your home store. These are top quality industrial grade pieces."
He says they pay for new displays with money made from the show.
The Lights on the Lake stroll is November 19, the dog walk is November 20, and the regular show runs November 21 to January 12.
