Frankenmuth

he Christmas Season is aglow in our beautiful city. What began as a simple brainstorming session in 2020 of how to celebrate the most sacred time of year given the looming pandemic, became an extensive three-year-plan to add to Frankenmuth's Christmas Experience. One of the goals from the beginning was to spread people out over time and space. To be intentional and responsible given the current times, about balancing opportunities for our community and our visitors to embrace the reason for the season, make memories and create new traditions. Now, only a little over a year later, we have some incredible new attractions that can be enjoyed any day of the season. None of this could have been accomplished without an immense amount of coordination and participation, fi nancial investment by businesses, physical support of those who installed every detail, as well as those who helped tackle challenges that arose along the way. And of course, it is all brought together with an incredible marketing effort that spans from printed Christmas guides and tour maps to a website takeover, advertising campaigns and contests like the new "Stop & Snap Challenge." The traditional Holiday Celebration, the day after Thanksgiving, was a special local event for those that remember it decades ago, but like all things, evolved over time as various factors changed. While we still had many locals attend in 2019, that day has become one of the busiest in Frankenmuth for visitors, so much so, that the event caused people to spill out and stand in the street during part of the ceremony. The pandemic of 2020 was the perfect time to re-envision how we celebrate Christmas in Frankenmuth in a safer and even bigger way. Communities the size of Frankenmuth don't often have the ability to have events or attractions to the scale we do because it simply isn't feasible to afford magical tree shows and chilled ice rinks with only 5,000 residents. The visitor economy in Frankenmuth helps us afford these nice things. We use this gift to intentionally create opportunities for our community that are sacred and special amid the busy season of visitors. The new "Light the Night" event was just that. Hosted on a Thursday to avoid the crowds of visitors, locals gathered to open the new Ice Rink and to hear the story of Christmas told by local Clergy that came together during the fi rst ever "Light the Night." Church bands graced us with their angelic voices to rejoice at the upcoming Christmas holiday and neighbors shared smiles and hot chocolate giving thanks for the opportunity to gather together. It was a truly special night. The new Christmas tree show also debuted that night, another 7-minute spectacular with Brining Sparkle to Frankenmuth T Locals gaze in wonder at the premiere of the new 2021 Spectacular Musical Tree Show beside the Frankenmuth Visitor Center. Continued on Page 10 8

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