The Lights of the Northwoods in Rhinelander will be going out with a bang.
The light display at Hodag Park is once again setting off fireworks on New Year’s Day.
The show will start at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 1.
Don Hoppe is president of the Lights of the Northwoods. He recommends getting there early to get a good spot.
“Winter fireworks are much different than summer. The inversion in the air with the cold air and the fireworks kind of keeps that smoke hanging over. It just gives you a totally different impression than fireworks in the summertime,” said Hoppe.
Sunday will also be your last chance to view the holiday light displays.
Hoppe says visitation and donations for the local non-profits the Lights of the Northwoods supports have been wonderful this year. This year donations have been collected for the Oneida County Humane Society, Wild Instincts, and the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry.
They’ve had a lot of people come through with just a slight slowdown during the cold snap over Christmas.
“But other than that, it’s been going great. People have lots of smiles. The park is all lit up and we’ve kept it that way even through the windy parts. So we’re really happy,” said Hoppe.
Donations are still being accepted through January 1st.
The lights will be on every night from 5:00 to 9:00.
Then volunteers will start taking them down on Monday.
Hoppe has a few workdays planned in the next week.
Monday, January 2nd: Meet at 1:00 p.m. at the little league concession stand.
Saturday, January 7th: Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the boat landing pavilion.
If you have time during the week, Hoppe says you can contact him at lightsofthenorthwoods@yahoo.com.