By Laura Hand
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at 7:21 p.m.
Dale Grinolds, the superintendent at Onondaga Lake Park who's seen 16 of the 19 annual shows, says they've come a long way from when simple generator-driven displays were set up at roadside.
Now, crews start assembling the elaborate scaffolding that holds the often animated lighted displays in September, putting together wind-resistant metal frames, then plugging in the lighting strings, electrical taping the connections and often bagging them in plastic to make them more wind and wet-resistant. Dozens of wires feed into controllers. 'The show depends on electricity," says Grinolds. The plan to add three new services for next year. The power bill is already $26,000 for the show's run, and that's with energy and manpower saving devices like timers, so the lights no longer stay on 24x7. Some of the lighting will also be energy efficient LED soon, though Grinolds says they'll also still keep some of the 'regular' lights to give a nostalgic feel to some pieces.
Planning for the next year edition is already underway, and by the end of January they'll know what they're adding. This year's pieces will be stored away until September, when crews will start setting them up again.
People who came to the display as children are now bringing their own children to this holiday tradition, which also draws visitors from Albany and Scranton on a regular basis. "It just keeps getting stronger," says Grinolds.
Lights on the Lake is open nightly, including Christmas and New Years, 5-10pm until January 4th. For more information, www.LightsontheLake.com
