Christmas in Williams Park may have wrapped long before families unwrapped their gifts on Christmas morning, but the experience seems to linger in the memories of many.
Barbara Sharp, president of the Christmas in Williams Park Society, said she estimates between 16,000 and 20,000 visitors drove through the annual light display.
“It was a success,” Sharp told the Aldergrove Star. “We saw a lot of happy families and that’s what it was all for.”
Sharp recounted that bumper to bumper carloads of guests made it so that organizers had to launch a reservation system to shorten the hours long wait times for the free event.
“We had to disappoint some, but most said ‘darn’ or “too bad we missed it,’ no one was really upset by it,” she explained.
Organizers were certainly not disapointed by the numbers, noting they’d get 20,000 in a normal year – but spread over three weeks, not just two weekends.
“There was lots of overwhelming positivity from people who did drive through,” Sharp assured.” Kids really loved it.”
She added that the society will be aiming to do something special for next year, seeing as how the 30th anniversary was not truly celebrated this December.
“We are looking forward to people getting to enjoy by wandering through it on foot again,” Sharp said.
READ MORE: PHOTOS: Williams Park gets ready for Christmas, opens Friday, Dec. 11
The event had been postponed and delayed throughout the season due to provincial health restrictions, but volunteers and Township crews scrambled to get the lights up and running when drive-thru style events got the green light.
A traffic management crew had to be brought in to control the influx of vehicles and enforce the amount of vehicles let in at one time.
Because of that addition, costs were way higher to put on the display that normal this year.
People can still help pay the tab and donate online at christmasinwilliamsparksociety.square.site.
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@aldergrovestar.com
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After much uncertainty if the event could go ahead, Christmas in Williams Park welcomed hundreds of guests for two weekends in December. (Special to the Aldergrove Star)
