Dec 12

Written by: bonnie
12/12/2007 6:51 PM

Well, mercy me, sorry it’s been so long but I had no idea that I was going to have so much company before Christmas!

In case you’ve been living in a hole (pun intended) and didn’t know, there is a lights display in Elmer Thomas Park. It’s called Holiday in the Park, and I suppose it is for some, but for those of us that live out here, it’s quite a distraction.

Now I’m all for getting into the holiday spirit, but I think this is one Hallmark card that needs to go back to the drawing board.

To begin, where do you enter this thing? The City of Lawton starts blocking off parts of Ferris Avenue and Cache Road between Second Street and Fort Sill Boulevard at four o’clock each day. In addition to regular traffic detours, and those driving around trying to figure out the entrance to Holiday in the Park, those going to evening functions at the Museum of the Great Plains and McMahon Auditorium are really screwed. I mean we’re talking about a group that is largely senior citizens driving battleships in the dark trying to find the one entrance to park at these facilities (It’s that road that runs along the East side of the Lawton High track off of Ferris, by the way.) When the event is over, they can only exit onto Cache Road and then only turn right. This requires getting onto Second Street and then deciding which way home.

As for the aesthetics, I’m not even going to talk about what 49 light displays look like. Though I did hear that they are bringing in some of the stored-away displays from the late Boulevard of Lights. Can’t say anything about that, lots of people decorate at the last minute.

Now while they say this thing is free, that’s only to enter. Leaving is another matter. They have a group of Santa’s highwaymen at the exit. If you don’t “make a donation” they stare at you as if to say, “You remember those scary angels from the Boulevard of Lights? Do you want them to visit your house in the middle of the night? Then donate. Merry Christmas”. (For those unfamiliar the “scary angels” bodies were lit up at night but their little mannequin heads with the bad wigs were not. Looked like the nightmare before Christmas with headless angels…)

I don’t know, kids. It’s the first year, maybe next year will be better or they will decide to let us get some sleep out here and move the thing back from whence it came.

When not driving through Holiday in the Park, enjoy Christmas shopping, and send me your extra Shop Lawton tickets for the drawing! I have lots of relatives.

-- Bonni

Tags: