Lenawee County Fair's third annual Fair Fantasy Lights drive-thru returns this weekend

ADRIAN — Three days of Christmas lights and holiday displays are back for the public’s enjoyment this weekend during the third annual Fair Fantasy Lights drive-thru event at the Lenawee County Fair & Events Grounds in Adrian.

There are unofficially 54 entries participating in this year’s edition of the holiday lights display, which encompasses nearly all of the fairgrounds, according to an update provided Wednesday from Lenawee County Fair chairwoman of non-fair week events, Melinda Stubli. Fifty-three floats and light displays are registered in the fair’s Fantasy Lights program, she said. A late entrant was accepted.

Just like last year’s event and the inaugural event in 2020 — which was introduced as a community holiday event and a fundraiser for the fairgrounds during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic — people are welcome to drive throughout the fairgrounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16, 17 and 18, and see the lights.

Entry charge is $5 per carload and vehicles are advised to enter the fairgrounds via the North Dean Street entrance. There will be fair employees, volunteers and signs directing motorists through the mapped-out display route.

Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

“We have such a great variety of lights, displays and floats this year. We are really excited about opening the event to the community,” Stubli said Wednesday. “With 11 more entries this year than we had last year, people simply continue to support this event. We can’t thank our entrants and our sponsors enough.”

Some of the displays have been provided by staff and board members of the Lenawee County Fair. A majority of the displays are provided by individuals in the community, businesses, organizations and nonprofits.

As a bit of a preview for what can be seen this weekend at the fairgrounds, Stubli said, displays range from a decorated manure spreader to business banners; from trees decorated and lit in memory of loved ones who died this year, to a school bus that the Grinch will be driving.

J-Man’s Live DJ Service, with its Grinch costume and decked out pickup, returns as part of the lights display after scheduling complications in 2021. The DJ service was a top-three people’s choice award winning float in the 2020 edition of the fair lights along with Gateway Community Church’s live nativity scene and Adrian First United Methodist Church’s choir of angels.

The top-three winning displays selected by the people last year are coming back to retain their titles, Stubli said.

Gateway Community Church continues to hold the rank as the top vote-getter at the lights display with its nativity recreation. Ogden Church Life Group will be back after winning second place in the people’s choice voting last year, and also making a return from last year’s third place finish is St. Stephen Lutheran Church’s live nativity.

When people receive their program at the front entrance of the fairgrounds they will also receive voting cards where they can list their favorite float/lights display. The display with the most votes at the conclusion of the weekend will be announced as the winning float. Second and third will also be recognized. The top three winning displays will receive winnings from a $500 pot.

Other highlights of floats and lights displays, Stubli added, include inflatables, decorated Jeeps, Christmas trees on the Bandshell stage and several 4-H projects.

New this year is a selfie with Santa area, which is located in the north lot of the fairgrounds. People are encouraged to pull off into that area of the route and appropriately, take a selfie with Santa and then resume on the remainder of the lights tour. Santa will be stationed in what the fair is calling “Santa’s Shack.”

“We like to make sure we have the same type of concept for each year’s event, but we also want to make each year a little different, too,” Stubli said.

Not only has the number of entrants increased from last year, but so have the sponsors, Stubli said.

“This event just keeps growing, and I hope that we can continue to grow,” she said. “I wish people could hear the excitement on the children’s voices as they go through the displays. It’s a great thing for our community and something that we really enjoy having at the fair.”

Fair employees also suggest people make a holiday evening out of Friday, Saturday or Sunday, by not only visiting the lights display at the fairgrounds, but also checking out the lighted trees at Comstock Park in Adrian, and traveling through the lighted areas of Heritage Park, also in Adrian. Other communities throughout Lenawee County also have lights displays that can be viewed from the comfort and warmth of one's car.

“What a great way to spend an evening in Adrian and Lenawee County,” Stubli said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Fair Fantasy Lights drive-thru returns to Lenawee County Fairgrounds