If you're still not in the holiday spirit, may I suggest that you take a one-hour drive southeast of Des Moines? Your destination is Oskaloosa, Iowa, population 11,578.
           Situated just beyond the reach of what used to be known as Des Moines' Golden Circle, Oskaloosa deserves recognition as a Christmas lights destination.
           "One of the biggest draws is the atmosphere, with all of the colorful building facades, and the bandstand outlined in lights in the middle of the town square," says Allison McGuire, president of Oskaloosa Main Street. "It's just like you've been magically transported into a Hallmark movie."
           More than 30 of the town's building facades are illuminated by LED lights--over 300,000 in total. The 20-foot lighted Christmas tree near the historic courthouse is programmable, and its dazzling colors and shapes literally dance. "Families line up to take photos in December," McGuire says. "It's a very cool and fun photo backdrop."
Success Requires Effort and Planning
           You may not know about Oskaloosa's Painting with Lights. I might not know, but full disclosure, Allison McGuire is our daughter.
           Beginning in the mid-1980s and for the next decade or more, my writing at Successful Farming often highlighted rural communities that were working hard to beat the odds of maintaining a vibrant main street, despite the headwinds of population loss and the incursion of big box stores. When I see one succeeding today, it's because its leaders are capitalizing on the community's unique identity, assets, and the character of its historic business district.
           Oskaloosa's LED Painting with Lights is a first-of-its-kind display in Iowa. The Iowa Main Street program awarded Oskaloosa its Signature Project of the Year Award in 2017. All of the buildings in its historic town square are lit, including the courthouse, built in 1886, and the 1903 Carnegie Library. Several other businesses get into the spirit, helping to catch the attention of passersby beyond the downtown route.
           Oskaloosa's Lighted Christmas Parade is one of the oldest, going strong for 35 years. This year's parade showcased great community participation, with 60+ lighted floats.
           "The inspiration for Painting with Lights grew out of the success and longevity of our Lighted Christmas Parade," McGuire says. "People were given permission to dream big to answer the question, 'What can we do that would set us apart in the state of Iowa?' "
           Oskaloosa Main Street's Christmas committee proposed Painting with Lights, and the idea was taken to the business community to gain its support. A Christmas in July event was organized to raise initial funding for the LED lights. "Once one-half of the block was lighted, it helped people visualize what it could be," McGuire says. Today Oskaloosa Main Street and the Mahaska Chamber Development Group ask for business sponsorships and hold raffles throughout the year as well as events during the week leading up to the annual parade to raise $35,000 to $36,000 of the cost. Business owners are responsible for their electric costs, but LEDS are more cost-effective than other lights.
           The process of installing the lights begins in the middle of October. The festivities kick off just before Thanksgiving with Turn on the Lights, and continue with Merry Little Downtown Christmas, featuring horse-drawn wagon rides and a concert at the mall. Hot cocoa and cider are served in The Alley, a community gathering place created to combine music and local history. (Donations go toward Painting with Lights.) Most businesses extend their hours during these events, and a few others including the Book Vault, a beautifully restored bank turned bookstore, Brown Shoes, and Smokey Row are open until 7:00 p.m.or later  year-round.
Lighted Lantern Puppets Will Be Back
           A highlight of this year's Lighted Christmas Parade, two giant lantern puppet creations, will become a permanent fixture. The effort was led by Andrew Kim, an internationally known puppet designer and performance artist who spent 10 days with William Penn University students, local artists, and Director of Theatre Brant Bollman. Kim, who owns and operates Thingumajig Theatre in West Yorkshire, England, worked with students around the clock to sketch and sculpt the designs, and solder the LED lighting used in the bamboo lantern puppets.
           "People don't often think of it this way, but parades are arts and culture events," McGuire says. "Every participating parade entry has its own interpretation of the parade theme. It was fun to see an international artist help local artists create something handmade for a beloved community event. The contrast of these puppets with their lifelike movements to the static floats creates a unique atmosphere."
           The puppets, dubbed the Oskaloosa Muse and Big Woolly, the Mammoth, feature articulating limbs. Woolly embodies the Mahaska County Arts and Culture sector's "Mammothly Creative" theme. Fun fact: In 2010, an Oskaloosa man and his son discovered an Ice Age Mammoth skeleton. Since then, multiple Mammoth remains were excavated.  Some of the bones are on display at the Environment Learning Center on Highway 92, just east of town
           "For the size of this community, its arts and culture footprint is large, on an unexpected scale, like a mammoth," McGuire says, "The Oskaloosa Muse celebrates the creativity of the community."
           Kim's immersive workshop was funded by an Artist Project Grant from the Iowa Dept. of Cultural Affairs, and support from Mahaska Drug.
           Painting with Lights continues until January 8, 2023. The lights are on from 4:45 p.m. until 11 p.m. Next year's Lighted Christmas Parade will be on the next Saturday following the Thanksgiving weekend.
I’m delighted to be part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative.
Doug Burns:Â The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Dave Busiek:Â Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle:Â A Whole New World, Madison County
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Jody Gifford:Â Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines
Beth Hoffman:Â In the Dirt, Lovilla
Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Robert Leonard:Â Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger:Â Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt:Â Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices
Cheryl Tevis:Â Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts:Â Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Wonderful!
How fun! My husband and I are still little kids who LOVE oohing and ash ing at Christmas lights. We will definitely make the drive.
Thank you!