For almost two decades the City of Ozark has celebrated the holiday season with their Festival of Lights, a mile long drive decorated with displays of over 100,000 blinking, twinkling and buzzing lights operated by the city.
The annual event, free but with donations accepted, takes up Finley River Park for the season, and is part of downtown wide celebrations that Ozark’s Parks and Recreation Director Hayden Ponsar said give Ozark the feel of a Hallmark Christmas.
"It's really neat that it is all nestled right here in Ozark,” he explained, “the Finley River Mill lights up the bridge at night. The McCracken bridge. You can see both that and the old Riverside End bridge on the Finley Mill property lit up from the light show. So, it's neat to drive through that lit bridge down into Finley. Go through the mile of lights. Park on the square and you can truly make an evening out of Christmas lights.”
It's the cozy sort of tradition he says contributes to the quality-of-life long-term residents expect and those that have just moved to Ozark are hoping for.
“You see people coming from all over the country moving to Ozark. Christian County was one of the fastest growing counties for many years,” Ponsar said. “When people arrive here and they find out that there's a drive through light show just down the street from their house, I think that's amazing. You go to other metropolitan areas, and there might be one major light display that they have to drive 30 to 45 minutes. To be able to show up here in Ozark and have a great one in their backyard, with many other holiday light displays and Branson and Springfield, as well as the local private residential ones that happen in Ozark. It's, I think, pretty defining of who we are, that that holiday spirit is a part of our community.”
The display is part of a season full of traditions for Ozark, that begins with the Ozark Craft Fair in October, which brings tens of thousands of people to Finley River Park. Ponsar said the Parks and Rec maintenance team gets to work on the display as soon as the fair is over, with the goal of having the Festival of Lights open two weekends before thanksgiving.
“If there's one group of people who I could ensure get a shout out in this entire conversation, it's our maintenance team,” he said. “Our maintenance team works constantly getting the lights set up and prepared, wiring, electrical. There's a lot going on. Just now they're tinkering with displays, ensuring that it continues to evolve throughout the season. They do get a blast out of it. They do have fun with it. It's a huge undertaking, and once those lights are set up, I know they're happy, but again, they don't stop. It's not a ‘hey, we're done. Let's let it sit.’ They're constantly trying to make it better. They're getting in at 5 a.m. to see how the lights are lit up while it's still dark. Driving down the streets of Ozark, making sure the snowflakes are twinkling.”
They switch it up a bit every year, those snowflakes are recent additions to light poles around town this year and they were still getting them right when we spoke.
“They're working on more motion in lights and so using different relays and controllers to ensure that the snowflakes and stars twinkle, to ensure that that arrow's flash, to start to have some of those effects, so it's not just stationary lights but more motion. There's always ideas for new displays, and people are always welcome to pass that along to the Parks Department.”
Ponsar is all about the public. Getting them involved and appreciating the sense of ownership they have over the display. The Festival of Lights drive started in fact as a private citizen led effort, drawing inspiration from similar popular displays from as far away as West Virginia according to Ponsar. And in my brief research it does seem like West Virginia has an excellent tradition of drive through light displays.
He told me that eventually those private citizens felt they couldn’t keep the display going and asked the city to take over. The city did just that, building the Festival of Lights into a tradition that has now passed through a generation and become part of the holidays for thousands. Ponsar says they estimate 30 to 40 thousand visitors every year, with an average donation of less than two dollars per car.
“It's just one of those quality-of-life amenities that our city believes in. When the lights came up for conversation last year, I wasn't in my role, but I would pay attention to our Board of Aldermen meetings. One of the Aldermen referred to it as just one of those amenities that people expect at the holidays. It's just part of their Christmas tradition, and I think I hold so true to that. How many cities can you just go drive through a light show for? For free?”
I asked Ponsar if he had any favorite section.
“The sections change year to year. But my favorite display personally is the Ozark Water Tower. I think that's an icon that so many people associate with this city. It is one of our newer displays, and so it's got more bulbs, more lights, more LEDs. It shines really bright as you're in that final stretch. You can see Ozark shining brightly. It's really beautiful. I know a lot of people don't get excited about water towers, but I think for me that that is one of those images that just says Ozark."
During a holiday season that struggles with stereotypes of rampant consumerism, Ozark’s Festival of Lights stands out as a community wide effort to spread joy with no strings attached. The lights drive is open until the night of Christmas each year. If you’re hearing or reading this December 26, you’ve just missed your chance, but they’ll be there next year, twinkling along the banks of Finley River.