Holiday Lights at the Lake continues drive-thru light display tradition in Johnson County

CORALVILLE — A holiday drive-thru display established as one of the only ones in Johnson County three years ago is continuing to make spirits bright in a tradition that helps a hospice home meet growing needs.

Holiday Lights at the Lake, first started in 2021, returns for its third year this season to benefit The Bird House Hospice Home of Johnson County — the only independent residential hospice home in Iowa, and one of only 34 in the Omega Home Network across the country.

“As we embark on our third year, we’re extremely thankful for how supported we’ve been by the community, not just from a funding standpoint, but in encouragement and positivity,” said Jessica Pfab, committee member. “Over the course of the past couple years, it has been a lucrative fundraiser for The Bird House of Johnson County. We just hope it continues to be that.”

With costs continuing to increase, the hospice home said the legacy fundraiser has stepped in to help ensure quality end-of-life care to patients and their families. As a private, not-for-profit boardinghouse, The Bird House does not accept insurance coverage.

Since it started, the annual event has welcomed more than 17,000 vehicles and 4,500 pedestrian visitors.

“Our first year overwhelmed us with the amount of participation,” said Pfab. “I don’t know if we were ready for the amount of participation we would have.”

To make care affordable for all five rooms, the home must fundraise $1,500 per day — $547,500 per year. That’s triple what it needed to fundraise when Holiday Lights at the Lake started in 2021.

“The Holiday Lights at the Lake has really saved the Bird House in terms of just being able to use that income for unexpected expenses,” said Jana Michael, executive director of The Bird House.

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What’s new?

With dozens of large, animated and dazzling professional displays over a milelong course, there’s something for everyone. And with new improvements to process demand, visitors don’t need to worry about waiting in the same kind of lines that took hours to get through the first year.

This year, Santa’s crew is getting sporty in new light displays. Families will be able to see deer playing volleyball, Santa dunking a basketball and a new pickleball archway.

The Hopper — a 32 by 46 feet parody of Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” — returns to feature Santa sitting with his reindeer in a dark urban cafe. This year’s traffic route has been adjusted to put the display at the bottom of a hill.

Other favorites returning include the bucking polar bears in the western-themed Christmas ranch area, and the Memory Lane that added a 300-foot lane of lit trees last year.

If that does not bring marvel, perhaps the Tunnel of Lights in the Enchanted Forest will.

“That tends to be the one where you hear the kids popping out of the sunroofs and squealing with fun,” said Pfab.

Also new this year is a partnership with Friends of Coralville Lake. The nonprofit will sell concessions like hot chocolate and s’mores kits to benefit their mission, and host fire pits to keep warm or roast a marshmallow under the canopy of lights.

A new tradition

Whether visitors learned about the annual event as a Bird House fundraiser or learned about it as a fun thing to do, Holiday Lights at the Lake has become a tradition for many families.

“It’s fun to see people’s eyes light up when they give their $10, (learning) they’re giving it to a great cause,” Pfab said.

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And in a holiday season that can be a whirlwind for families, the tradition often spans a few generations, all together in the car.

“This is an event that happens not smack dab in the middle of the day when everyone’s busy, but at a time when you can put everyone in the car and spend an hour together,” Pfab said. “Holiday Lights at the Lake has enhanced the tradition of driving around and looking at holiday light displays.”

Festive Lights around the Corridor

If you’re feeling electrified for the holidays, check out these other light displays happening through December:

CEDAR RAPIDS

CORALVILLE

OXFORD

ROBINS

WALKER

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.