The annual Foster Falls Festival of Lights will again draw thousands to the area to celebrate the season and give back to the local community

Marking its eighth anniversary, the Foster Falls Festival of Lights is expected to make Wythe County shine even brighter as it opens the holiday season on Dec. 2, 2011 and continues lighting the park on Dec. 3. The charity event draws thousands annually and benefits countless local communities.

Dawned with over 200,000 lights, the New River Trail State Park welcomes families each year to visit Santa, take a carriage ride and celebrate the opening of the holiday season. The event started out with a few hundred visitors but has grown in every aspect.

“Each year the festival continues to expand, with sparkling little lights as well as visitors,” said Patrick McFall, park interpreter.

Visitors are drawn not only to the view of sparkling structures, but also to the holiday activities. The scene includes inflatables, carriage and tractor rides, Santa town, and complimentary hot chocolate, coffee and pastries.

In 2010, over 900 visitors experienced the wonder with 155 children visiting Santa. Over 975lbs of canned food items and 205 unopened toys were collected as entrance donations. All of this took place in only one night.

According to Robert Leonard, New River Trail State Park Chief Ranger, the festival is event that draws people from over 200 miles away to Wythe County for the spectacular sight.

Gary Cody, Wythe County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Director, and the Parks and Recreation staff have helped get the word out for the festival through distributing flyers around the county. Cody said the setting of the park is a wonderful showcase for the hundreds of thousands of lights.

“The New River Trail State Park workers put a lot of hours into preparing for the event,” said Cody. “The setting is perfect to for any light display, especially the view of the lights reflection off the New River.”

Like many holiday events, the festival’s main purpose is to collect for charities, the food going to Agape Food Pantry in Wytheville and toys given to Santa’s Workshop sponsored by the Department of Social Services. The look of awe at the sea of twinkling lights is just an added bonus.

It is indeed a community event, participated in by not only the park workers who spend months putting up the lights and the on lookers who donate. Every year without hesitation people agree to take part including local elementary schools that make ornaments that line the Christmas trees inside of Santa’s village.

“Having this event is a great opportunity for us to give back to the community that so generously gives to us,” said McFall.

One of the great acclaims to the community support came in 2009 when the festival was almost cancelled due to lack of funding. Community businesses and leaders came together to raise the nearly $7,000 needed to see the festival into its sixth year.

The festival will take place on Dec. 2 and 3 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the New River Trail State Park, 176 Orphanage Drive, Foster Falls. For more information contact the park at (276) 699-6778.