by Dennis Dalman
For the eighth consecutive year, an area of 33 acres in north Sartell will be brightened with dazzling holiday lights all through December during the city’s annual “Country Lights Festival.”
The popular annual event is free and draws an average of 30,000 viewers each December. It’s one of the largest outdoor-lighting displays in central Minnesota.
Special nights are the following: S’mores Night on Friday, Dec. 6; Santa Night on Dec. 13; and a Spectacular Fire Works Night on New Year’s Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 31.
About 100,000 lights will astonish visitors as they walk along a trail and grounds around Lake Francis by the Sartell Community Center. People are welcome to experience the stunning spectacle from dusk to dawn each evening in December. Visitors can feel free to park in the community center’s parking lot.
The breathtaking experience includes “tunnels” encapsulated by vivid lighting, figures comprised of strands of lights and trees brimming with glowing lights.
“Christmas and the winter holidays are a special time of year,” said Chip Schwarzentraub, district leader/Minnesota Agency for COUNTRY Financial. “We’re pleased to be able to once again work with the local community to create a magical place where people and families can enjoy time together and celebrate the spirit of the season.”
Without generous sponsorship partners, the event would not be possible. Those Sartell sponsors are COUNTRY Financial, Blue Line Sports Bar and Grill, Premiere Real Estate and Granite Logistics.
The event is named after its long-time major sponsor COUNTRY Financial.
Kindergarten classmates bump into each other at the 2023 Country Lights Festival and peer out Lake Francis while in line for a train ride. They are (left to right) Wyatt Urke of Rockville and Allison Walters of Luxemburg, both age 5.
