Positively Pittsburgh Live!
Pittsburgh Christmas Lights
12-10-12
Guests:
Caren Knoyer, Marketing Director, Oglebay Resort & Conference Center
Stephanie Tomasic, Executive Director, Overly's Country Christmas
***
Oglebay
Resort - Wheeling, West Virginia
November 9, 2012 - January 6, 2013
Sunday - Thursday, 5:30-10:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday, 5:30-11:00 p.m.
Admission: a onetime per car donation is
requested; $20 donation includes Oglebay Lights DVD. Trolley tours are offered for $10 per seat.
Call 800-624-6988 or book online!
 |
| Carousel Display |
One
of America’s largest holiday light shows, the Winter Festival of Lights at
Oglebay in Wheeling, West Virginia, will begin November 9, 2012 and continue
through January 6, 2013. This holiday tradition began in 1985 with just
five light displays and landscape lighting covering about 125 acres over a
three-mile drive throughout the resort. Since then, the show has grown into one
of the nation's largest light shows, covering more than three hundred acres
over a six-mile drive throughout the resort. Seventy eight
larger-than-life light displays are now part of this glowing show including the
new amusement park themed Strong Man display added next to the Ferris Wheel and
Carousel. Also new this year is the Leaping Frog display and an animated
Volcano has also been added to the popular Dinosaur Dell display this year.
 |
| Caren Knoyer |
Four
years ago, the Winter Festival of Lights entered a new “green” era with the
commitment to use energy-efficient LED lights in all new displays and to begin
converting all existing displays to LED. “We are proud to announce that
all the displays at the Festival of Lights are now LED!” said Caren
Knoyer, Marketing Director for Oglebay. “We expected the conversion to
take five years so we are actually ahead of schedule.”
 |
| Rocking Horse Display |
Knoyer
said that LED lights use 85% less energy than traditional bulbs and last five
times longer. “We want to ensure that the Winter Festival of Lights will
be glowing for many more years!” Knoyer added. “For example, the animated
Rocking Horse Display was first added to the Festival of Lights in 1992, using
85 amps of electricity with traditional light bulbs. Now that the display
has been updated with vibrant LED lights and it uses just 12 amps of
electricity.”
The
Gardens of Light is located in the Oglebay hilltop and gardens area, and
features 150 hanging baskets of light plus thousands of lighted flowers, trees
and shrubs, combined with distinctive holiday music. Knoyer said that the
best way to enjoy the Gardens of Light is to take a stroll along the brick path
that leads from Carriage House Glass to the Mansion Museum.
“And after
numerous requests, a special CD with the Gardens of Lights music is available
at our gift shops this year,” said Knoyer.
Carriage
House Glass, the first stop on the Gardens of Light tour, features a large
selection of decorative glass and other collectibles. Carriage House Glass is
also home to the sparkling Oglebay Institute Glass Museum featuring an
extensive collection of West Virginia glass and glassblowing demonstrations.
The Gardens of Light continues next door to the Visitors’ Center and the new
Farmhouse Sweets and Treats Shoppe. “This new shop features a very large
selection of chocolates, plus other candy and regionally produced food
products,” said Knoyer. “Custom gift baskets are also available at
Farmhouse Sweets and Treats.”
 |
| Mansion Museum |
Just outside the Visitors’ Center lies the
magical Christmas Tree Garden. Introduced in 2003, the Christmas Tree
Garden consists of 30 live trees decorated with various colored lights.
Situated in the center of the Christmas Tree Garden is the Nativity
Display. The life-size Nativity was designed and created by a local
artist, and has been a much-loved display at the Winter Festival of Lights
since 1985. The red brick walking
path leads from the Christmas Tree Garden to the Greenhouse, Palm Room and
Garden Center Gift Shop, where visitors can find live holiday flowers, garden
gifts and silk floral arrangements.
The final stop on the Gardens of Light tour
is the Mansion Museum.
The popular Light and
Music Extravaganza returns to the Good Zoo again this year. “The show is better
than ever this year with new music, new choreography and more lights,” added Knoyer.
The Light and Music Extravaganza takes place nightly on the zoo patio with more
than 35,500 LED lights choreographed to exciting holiday music. The zoo at
Oglebay will also have their annual holiday model train display at the state’s
largest O-Gauge Model Train Exhibit and holiday laser shows at the zoo’s
Benedum Theater. Admission to the zoo is $8.00 for adults and $5.50 for
children ages 3-12, and this admission includes the Light and Music
Extravaganza on the zoo’s patio.
The
271-room Wilson Lodge at Oglebay offers special overnight packages during the
Winter Festival of Lights. Many changes have taken place at the lodge over the
years but it is still the centerpiece of Oglebay. It is festively
decorated, inside and out, and bustles with activity including children’s
events, delicious holiday dining, cordial gatherings and live musical
entertainment.
 |
| The Poinsettia Wreath and Candles is the festival’s tallest display. |
There
is plenty to do and see at Oglebay while waiting for the lights to come
on. The Ihlenfeld Dining Room at Wilson Lodge offers a popular holiday
buffet nightly and the family-friendly Glass Works Grill at the lodge is open
daily for lunch and dinner. The Winter Festival of Lights is also a special
time at all of the Oglebay specialty shops. In addition to the Carriage House
Glass, Farmhouse Sweets & Treats, Palm Room and Garden Center shops in the
Gardens of Light area, the Resort Shop and West Spa Boutique at Wilson Lodge,
Nature Express at the Good Zoo, and the Christmas Shop at the Speidel Golf Club
are all fully stocked for the holiday season. The Christmas Shop is open
only during the Festival of Lights and offers a large selection of
one-of-a-kind decorations, ornaments and holiday collectibles. Gift cards
are available at all shops, at the Visitors Center and online at Oglebay’s website.
 |
| Snowflake Tunnel |
This year, Oglebay is
looking for ideas for next year’s Winter Festival of Lights. “If you have
a great idea, enter our Festival of Lights New Idea Contest and your idea could
come to life at the 2013-14 Winter Festival of Lights,” said Knoyer. Entries
should be on poster board with name, age, address, phone number and email
printed on the back and delivered to the Good Zoo office by January 6, 2013.
Complete contest rules are available on the Oglebay website at www.oglebay-resort.com/fol.htm.
The Winter Festival of
Lights was listed as one of the 10
Best Christmas Light Displays in the US according to AOL Travel and has been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Most
Extreme Christmas Celebrations.” The show is also listed on the American
Bus Association's Top International Events, was named as a top 100 event by
Eventcrazy.com and was recently listed as one of the top 200 events in the
country by Discover America. In 2009 the Festival of Lights was named one of
the top 10 best holiday light and tree shows by HotelsCombined.com, a leading
hotel search engine.
For more information about Oglebay
and the Winter Festival of Lights, call 800-624-6988 or 304-243-4000 or
visit www.oglebay-resort.com
***
Westmoreland County Fairgrounds, Greensburg, PA
November 16, 2012 - January 1, 2013
Sunday - Thursday, 5:30-10:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday, 5:30-11:00 p.m.
Christmas Eve Hours, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Weekday Admission: $10 per car or family van
Weekend Admission: $12 per car or family van
$15 per limousine, extended passenger van or minibus
November 16, 2012 - January 1, 2013
Sunday - Thursday, 5:30-10:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday, 5:30-11:00 p.m.
Christmas Eve Hours, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Weekday Admission: $10 per car or family van
Weekend Admission: $12 per car or family van
$15 per limousine, extended passenger van or minibus
Gates
open nightly at 5:30 p.m., weather permitting
Get
Social With Us On: Facebook, Twitter
(@overlys), Pinterest, Foursquare
 |
| Train Ride |
Overly’s Country Christmas started at the
home of Harry Overly in Armbrust, PA in 1956 for his children. Over the years, it grew in popularity and
attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors, sometimes causing traffic problems
for the neighbors of his small hometown.
In 1994, the display was moved to the Westmoreland Fairgrounds. Also, in
the same year, Harry incorporated into a nonprofit charitable organization to
assure the lights and his charitable work would continue long after he was
gone.
Sadly, in 1998, Harry died after a two year struggle with
leukemia. Dedicated volunteers willing to give of their time each year to
continue this Westmoreland County holiday tradition and work hard to assure
that Christmas Village and the charitable work continues long after all of us
are gone.
 |
| Henny Hemlock |
Net proceeds from the display and Christmas Village plus
other fund raising activities done throughout the year go to the "Lights
for Little Ones" endowment fund which was established in July 2001. The
fund provides for Overly’s year long work with troubled youth and community
outreach initiatives such as the Family Moments Holiday Packages for
area families at-risk in Westmoreland, Fayette and Allegheny Counties.
 |
| Santa at Overlys |
During the Season, Overly’s is a permanent collection
site for new, unwrapped toys, nonperishable food items, cat/dog food and kitty
litter and personal care items. Through the Share the Magic collections,
donations are made to the Mt. Pleasant Salvation Army Angel Tree, the Good
Samaritan Center of Mt. Pleasant, In Care of Cats & Others and the veterans
at the John Heinz Veterans Hospital in Aspinwall.
 |
| Lights Galore at Overlys |
Throughout the year, 600+ volunteers willingly give of
their time to plan, set up, operate and finally, to tear down and store the
display. Nightly, it takes 15 to 45 volunteers to run the display and operate
Christmas Village including Santa and Mrs. Claus, the bonfire, outdoor
eateries, gift shop and numerous behind the scenes activities.
Overly’s
Country Christmas sits on 15 acres at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in
Greensburg, PA with five acres accessible for visitors to come to Christmas
Village where they can:
- Visit Hartman Station, a g-guage model train display and see a collection of railroad memorabilia
- Shop in C. Edgar & Sons General store
- Enjoy a char-grilled hamburger or hotdog or a cup of hot chocolate or hot apple cider at our outdoor barbeque, the Country Kitchen.
- Have a snack of kettle korn, a funnel cake or cheesy beef fries at one of the other outdoor eateries.
- Visit the life size nativity with live animals
- See the lights on a horse drawn wagon or sleigh
- Have your photo taken with Santa through December 23
- Sing carols ‘round our bonfire
- Talk with Henny Hemlock, our quippy Talking Christmas Tree
And
above all, enjoy the sight, smells, tastes and sound of an old-fashioned
Christmas with your children and family. For more information, visit www.overlys.com
***
A few other places to view lights this holiday season:
Kennywood
Amusement Park, West Mifflin
November 23–25, November 30 - December 2, and December 7-9, 14–16, 21-23, and 26–27, 2012 (Friday, Saturday & Sundays, plus December 26 and 27)
Friday - Sunday, 5:00-9:00 p.m.
Admission: $14.99 per person; children 2 and under are free.
November 23–25, November 30 - December 2, and December 7-9, 14–16, 21-23, and 26–27, 2012 (Friday, Saturday & Sundays, plus December 26 and 27)
Friday - Sunday, 5:00-9:00 p.m.
Admission: $14.99 per person; children 2 and under are free.
Clinton,
PA
November 17, 2012 - January 6, 2013
Open daily from 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (including holidays)
Admission: $10 per car donation goes to support area charities
November 17, 2012 - January 6, 2013
Open daily from 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (including holidays)
Admission: $10 per car donation goes to support area charities
FINDLAY TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL BUILDING. PO BOX 177 CLINTON, PA 15026
***
***************WIN FREE PASSES TO OVERLY'S!!!!***********
Share your Christmas
Decoration pictures and have a chance to get one of ten passes for a carload to
Overly Country Christmas at Westmoreland Fairgrounds. Send your pictures of
your home or office decorations to: info@pplmag.com
Jpeg's only please. Also need: full name, address, email, and phone number
The best ten pictures
will be chosen to receive the Carload Passes for Overly but all pictures will
be posted in a video with Christmas music with your name so we all know how
wonderful your lights are. The video will be posted between
Christmas and New Year's on the front page of: http://pplmag.com
Last date to send in
your pictures so that you can get and use your passes: December 20, 2012
at Midnight. Overly's runs through January 5.
***
This was reported as a
reproduction of PositvelyPittsburghLive news done by Joanne Quinn-Smith. (c)
Joanne Quinn-Smith and PositivelyPittsburghLive(TM) 2012 All rights reserved.
Tara Darazio is a
Positively Pittsburgh Live reporter, an independent copywriter, blogger,
article writer, and social media strategist. If you are in need of writing
assistance, or need help with your social media efforts connect
with Tara on LinkedIn here.
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