5th Annual Phalen Park Light Display Helps Local Charities

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- A holiday tradition that benefits local charities gets underway Tuesday night in St. Paul.

It's the fifth year for drive through light display "Holiday Lights in the Park" at Phalen Park. It's great entertainment to look at, but more importantly it provides assistance to local charities.

Organizers with the project said a majority of the displays are new this year, including a finale with an under sea adventure that includes a sunken pirate ship, scuba divers and Santa Claus scuba diving.

It's also a Minnesota-themed display with the parks and recreation, featuring the biggest display they've ever had with all the options people have when they visit the state's parks. That includes displays for fishing, rock climbing, skiing.

The display costs $10 on weekends and $8 on weekdays to see, and the proceeds go towards four local charities. Those include the Union Gospel Mission, Second Harvest Heartland, a youth program called "Under Construction" and the St. Paul Parks Conservancy. Entry fees go to those charities, which have partnered with event organizers for the last five years.

The display features hundreds of thousands of LED light bulbs which are energy efficient, running at about one-third the power of a normal light bulb. There are more than 60 light displays for people to take in, and the display goes through Jan. 1, 2013.

There's a CD soundtrack for sale at Kowalski's Markets around the Twin Cities, and that purchase gets people a free pass to the display.