By Taylor Boyd
A lighted tunnel for vehicles to navigate, new displays, and returning favorites are among the showstopping offerings of the fifth annual Festival of Lights at DeHart Park in Stuart. The festival kicks off Saturday, Dec. 13, and runs through Tuesday, Dec. 23.
Open from 6–8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, the event aims to deliver holiday spirit for attendees of all ages.
Amy Corns, chairman of the Stuart Parks and Recreation Association Fundraising Committee, said this year’s festival will feature 64 displays from local businesses, churches, organizations, families, and others — the most ever.
“We’re really, really excited. We have lots of new businesses and community groups that are going to add to our festival this year, so that should be really exciting,” she said.
To meet the goal of offering something bigger and better each year, Corns said the 2025 festival will include a lighted tunnel for drivers.
“We had tremendous community support in helping us get this new addition,” she said. Numerous individuals and businesses “helped us plant the poles and run the wires for the lights to hang on, and we’re just truly appreciative of all the help that has gone into setting up for the lights.”
Admission is $10 per car, and vehicles may drive through the loop as many times as they wish.
Corns said the festival typically draws 75–100 cars on weeknights and around 150 on weekends.
“Of course, each car, some of them have vanloads” of spectators, she said.
Last year, organizers tracked where visitors were coming from.
“I would say a good 75 percent of the festivalgoers are from Patrick County, but there is a good chunk, and I’d say it’s about 25 percent, that come from surrounding counties,” Corns said. “That just warms my heart, bringing people to see our beautiful county and all that we have to offer.”
Like last year, the program will include coupons from local businesses to encourage attendees to visit other shops and restaurants.
“That was well-received last year, so we’re going to do it again this year,” Corns said. “We’ve got a couple of new restaurants on board that weren’t on the list last year, so that’s really exciting.”
Carolers will perform nightly at the picnic shelter. Groups include the Patrick County High School (PCHS) Praise & Worship Team, Middle Cross Church, Harvest Worship Center, Stuart Elementary School Junior Beta, the PCHS Marching Band, and others.
Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will also make nightly appearances, with Santa situated inside the Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) building on Monday, Dec. 15.
“Patrons can stop and go in the college, they can visit with the varsity and JV cheerleading program for the high school,” Corns said. “They will be doing a fundraiser inside the college where they can buy baked goods and snacks and pay to take pictures and visit with Santa Claus.”
Christmas tree ornaments will be given to the first 100 visitors.
The P&HCC Fabrication Lab will also be open that night for attendees to design and purchase their own ornaments, which typically cost $1–$2, “so very affordable keepsakes,” Corns said.
Most nights along the light trail, local groups will set up fundraisers for their organizations. Corns said the Sugar Shack, PCHS Senior Beta Club, PCHS Band Boosters and the Stuart Ruritans are confirmed to participate.
“I know the money raised will go back into assisting their programs as well as our community,” she said.
Funding Purpose
As in previous years, proceeds will support the construction of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant bathrooms at the park.
With funds raised from past festivals and a $35,000 grant awarded from Appalachian Power (AEP) last month, Stuart Park Board of Directors Treasurer Frank Pettway estimates about $20,000 is still needed to fully fund the project.
While the current 45–50-year-old restrooms are adequate, Pettway said they are open only seasonally.
“We have to close those in the winter months, just to winterize,” he said. “If not, we’re going to have them freezing, we’re going to have typical water and weather problems. To do it in a public facility, it needs to be ADA-compliant. A lot of people will rent our shelters and so forth that need ADA restrooms.”
Pettway said the planned ADA restrooms will be a year-round facility similar to what’s installed at the Stuart Farmers’ Market.
“It will be available to any and everybody in the park. Not just the pool, not just for ballgames, it will be available 12 months for everybody in the park,” he said.
The restrooms will be built on part of the parking lot adjacent to the tennis courts, placing the facility between the courts and baseball field 1.
“It’ll be easily accessible, and it’ll definitely be built to today’s building codes, and it’ll be ADA compliant. It puts checks in a whole lot of boxes to do it,” Pettway said.
For more information, visit Facebook.com/DeHartPark-StuartParks&RecreationAssociation.
