Popular Christmas Display Moves To Downtown Warsaw This Year
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
If your Christmas tradition includes a drive south of Warsaw to see Bruce and Ann Howe's spectacular display, make plans this year to go to Warsaw's Central Park instead.
From now on, highlights of the major holiday attraction will be available for public viewing at Warsaw's Central Park. Donated to the city by the Howes, the exhibit will be set up in the park two weeks before Christmas.
Seven individual displays will be placed around "the green," or the central grassy area, in the park. The displays will include the manger scene, the carolers, and Santa's sleigh and reindeer.
Warsaw's park and street departments also will put Christmas lights on trees around the park, and in and around the displays.
The timing of the exhibit will coincide with the downtown merchants' planned "Hometown Holiday Weekend," Dec. 12-14.
Many of the floodlights, extension cords and tape players to go with the displays also were donated by the Howes.
Other donations are helping make the popular exhibit possible. Zimmer is allowing park patrons to park in its lot after work hours, and street department employees are refinishing and rebuilding the antique sleigh used in the Santa display.
Warsaw Community High School students even joined the project - the art department repainted the reindeer, and their work so impressed the Howes that they donated even more displays.
The exhibit will be open to the public during daylight hours, but will be lit from 5 to 11 p.m daily. The park will close at 11 p.m., and for security reasons while the display is up, will be the subject of increased police patrols.
"I think this is going to be great," said city councilman Mac Silveus, who was on the committee Wednesday that finalized the details for the display.
Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins emphasized the city's appreciation of the scope of the Howes' gift and how much the display will mean to the city.
"I think it's going to be a real attraction for the downtown," he said.
While Bruce Howe had no estimate on the thousands of people who view the extravaganza at his home every year, he said Wednesday that the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department once counted 1,700 cars either driving past the display or parking in just a two-hour period on a Friday night.
Most of the holiday street decorations in Warsaw will go up right after Thanksgiving, said Kim Leake, the city's superintendent of public works. The Central Park display will be open to the public for only the two weeks before Christmas, and this year there will be no display at the Howes' home. [[In-content Ad]]
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If your Christmas tradition includes a drive south of Warsaw to see Bruce and Ann Howe's spectacular display, make plans this year to go to Warsaw's Central Park instead.
From now on, highlights of the major holiday attraction will be available for public viewing at Warsaw's Central Park. Donated to the city by the Howes, the exhibit will be set up in the park two weeks before Christmas.
Seven individual displays will be placed around "the green," or the central grassy area, in the park. The displays will include the manger scene, the carolers, and Santa's sleigh and reindeer.
Warsaw's park and street departments also will put Christmas lights on trees around the park, and in and around the displays.
The timing of the exhibit will coincide with the downtown merchants' planned "Hometown Holiday Weekend," Dec. 12-14.
Many of the floodlights, extension cords and tape players to go with the displays also were donated by the Howes.
Other donations are helping make the popular exhibit possible. Zimmer is allowing park patrons to park in its lot after work hours, and street department employees are refinishing and rebuilding the antique sleigh used in the Santa display.
Warsaw Community High School students even joined the project - the art department repainted the reindeer, and their work so impressed the Howes that they donated even more displays.
The exhibit will be open to the public during daylight hours, but will be lit from 5 to 11 p.m daily. The park will close at 11 p.m., and for security reasons while the display is up, will be the subject of increased police patrols.
"I think this is going to be great," said city councilman Mac Silveus, who was on the committee Wednesday that finalized the details for the display.
Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins emphasized the city's appreciation of the scope of the Howes' gift and how much the display will mean to the city.
"I think it's going to be a real attraction for the downtown," he said.
While Bruce Howe had no estimate on the thousands of people who view the extravaganza at his home every year, he said Wednesday that the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department once counted 1,700 cars either driving past the display or parking in just a two-hour period on a Friday night.
Most of the holiday street decorations in Warsaw will go up right after Thanksgiving, said Kim Leake, the city's superintendent of public works. The Central Park display will be open to the public for only the two weeks before Christmas, and this year there will be no display at the Howes' home. [[In-content Ad]]