Final year for this holiday delight: Leduc winter wonderland 'just got too big'
In 2004, Doug Ruel set up a little Christmas light display on his Leduc property and a few cars came out to enjoy the festive atmosphere.
Every year, the display got a little bigger and so did the crowds. Eventually, the decorations came to fill nine shipping containers and the display became a holiday highlight, attracting upwards of 60,000 people a year to one of the biggest outdoor winter wonderlands in the region.
But this year, when Ruel turns off the lights on Dec. 30, it will be for good.
"We're always striving to make it better than the year before. And it is pretty nice," Ruel said Monday to CBC's Radio Active.
"It got to be an obsession ... and it just got too big,"
In the 14 years of running Leduc Country Lights, it has turned into an almost year-round endeavour for himself and his wife Yvonne.
"Even the volunteers," he said, "they kind of want to have a life in December, too."
In 2015, Ruel estimated his cost about $14,000 to run the light display on his five-acre property, which is located southwest of Leduc on Township Road 492. Donations, sponsorships and volunteers have helped defray both the cost and the effort.
There's no charge for admission but visitors are encouraged to bring a food donation for the Leduc Food Bank or a monetary donation to the Leduc Boys and Girls Club.
Last year, Ruel said they collected $22,000 plus 28,000 pounds of food — amounts he said could have been larger if 10 days of frigid temperatures hadn't kept visitors away.
The Christmas display has created many memories for many people, Ruel said, summoning the spirit of Christmas for visitors young and old.
This year will be no different, he said.
"We're starting on the 30th of November and the last day will be the 30th of December … and we're going to have a big fireworks display at 9 o'clock in the evening," he said.
"Like everybody says, we want to go out with a bang."
While the holiday light display won't be hosted at the Ruel's property again, there is a glimmer of hope that it could be resurrected next year in a new location.
Ruel has been talked to a couple of different organizations who are interested. He's willing to hand over the whole kit and caboodle — including Santa's workshop, the hot chocolate equipment, even the sea cans — and he'll help get things up and running.
"Hopefully, someone will carry on the Leduc Country Lights tradition."
