GREENFIELD — The Franklin County Fairgrounds has been illuminated in hues of red, white, green and blue most of the last two weeks, as residents from across the region have driven through the property, stopping to take photos of the brightly lit displays set up for the annual Light Up the Fairgrounds event.
As visitors pass through the fairgrounds exit, they are encouraged to vote for the display they enjoyed the most out of the 28.
With viewers asked to donate $5 per vehicle, Michael Nelson, president of the Franklin County Agricultural Society that manages the Wisdom Way fairgrounds, said the event has already raised more than $4,000 that will be put toward Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western Massachusetts’ mentoring programs and historic preservation efforts at the fairgrounds.
“We have seen a bit of a decrease [in attendance] this year and we’re attributing it mostly to the extreme cold weather. Even though it’s a drive-thru event where people are in their nice, warm cars, come 5 p.m. when it’s really cold out, it’s really hard to get your clothes back on and want to go out and drive around the fairgrounds,” Nelson said, reflecting on the first two weeks of Light Up the Fairgrounds. “I would guesstimate we’ve seen maybe 1,000 cars.”
The drive-thru holiday lights showcase, born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, is based on Springfield’s Bright Nights and is now in its sixth year.
Friday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 13, will mark the event’s final two days before the lights are taken down, with attendees welcome from 5 to 8 p.m. both days.
During the Friday event, Travel Kuz will join partners at the United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western Massachusetts for Busloads of Blessings, in which organizers collect donations and load a school bus with essential goods to be donated to local families in need.
Busload of Blessings, which kicked off Nov. 22 and will continue until Dec. 13, is collecting food, toys and clothing to fill a school bus. Organizers will be collecting warm clothes such as jackets, winter hats and mittens, along with waterproof boots, new and unwrapped toys, diapers and food at the fairgrounds. Donations will also be accepted at the Travel Kuz bus garage at 52 Main Road in Gill from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday.
Nelson said that although Light Up the Fairgrounds has seen lower attendance rates than in previous years, he expects to see a jump in visitors this coming weekend.
“Generally, the third weekend is the busier weekend for us as we get closer to the holidays,” he said. “Certainly the lights are gorgeous right now with all the freshly fallen snow on them, so we’re expecting that number to rise pretty decently over the next couple days.”