Rotary Lights being prepared for lighting ceremony this Friday

La Crosse’s holiday season officially kicks off this coming Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, with the start of Rotary Lights.

This year marks the 30th year of having Christmas lights throughout Riverside Park, from Thanksgiving weekend through New Year’s Eve. Organizer Pat Stephens says one new attraction at Rotary Lights this year will be seen in a tunnel near Riverside Park.

“We are completely lighting the tunnel under the La Crosse Center,” Stephens tells WIZM News. “Since everybody comes in and goes out on Front Street there, to the park, we decided to illuminate those columns and put another archway and stuff in there, so that’s gonna be a nice new addition to the display.”

Volunteer crews are just about finished putting lights throughout the park, although Stephens says there are now fewer actual trees with lights than there used to be.

“Because of the ash borer and some aging of the trees in the park, they have cut down about 30 trees in the last two-and-a-half years, and as a result of that, we have more lights than we have trees to put ’em in,” said Stephens. He says the Rotary has about six million Christmas lights which could be placed in the park.

About 130,000 food items were collected by the Rotary last year for 16 area pantries, during the light display. Santa Claus will switch on the lights this Friday around 5 p.m., after the traditional holiday parade in downtown La Crosse. There will be just 33 nights to see the lights in the park this season.