La Salle Celebration of Lights saw 21,409 cars, $143,726 in donations

La Salle’s signature event, Celebration of Lights, tallied 21,409 vehicles driving through its gates, raising $143,726 in donations in 2024.

The hundreds of lights were on display at Rotary Park from Nov. 11 through Jan. 1.

Finance Director John Duncan said the donations from the event go to the La Salle Promotional Advisory Committee to finance not only the Celebration of Lights, but also Miracle on First Street, Hometown Halloween and other promotional events.

“[LPAC has] also done capital improvement projects in the park that also helped grow the park to make the Celebration of Lights event larger,” Duncan said. “They did some road improvements, and they did parking lot improvements.”

Public information officer Brent Bader said the primary purpose of the event is not to create a revenue source for the city, but it aims to provide a free activity for families while promoting the city. Displays are purchased through sponsorships.

New this year, Tony Troyer, owner and operator of T2 Enterprises/Arabian Carriage, provided carriage rides sponsored by the Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.

Ryan Anderes, co-owner of Uptown Grill in La Salle, said a lot of people will make a night out of the annual display by having dinner before or after seeing the lights.

“We get people that say, ‘Oh, it’s our first time here, we saw the lights off of [Interstate] 39, and we went and checked it out, and we needed a place to eat,‘” he said. “They tell us their story.”

The city has grown the event each year, from adding “Run Run Rudolph” to the sleigh rides to the more than 400 lights showcased this year. But Bader said the city already is having conversations about how to grow and improve next year’s event.

“We’ve had conversations with other people in the community,” Bader said, “saying, ‘What do you want to see from this?’ This is going to be the 13th year. ... But I think this is the year that we’re having conversations with community leaders to be like, ‘What are your thoughts on how we should be [improving] this?’”

Duncan said the discussions have involved how to bring people further into La Salle beyond Rotary Park, including getting people who visit to drive downtown.

“We’ve heard from a lot of neighboring restaurants that people from Ottawa or Streator might come over and dine at Uptown and then go through the lights,” he said. “I think that’s good, but there’s no tangible measurement for us. “

Josh Hayungs, general manager of Denny’s in La Salle, said the restaurant sees about a 1% increase in sales per week during the event, with multiple groups and families who stop by for a bite after visiting the Celebration of Lights.

“I encourage my servers to talk to their guests and see what they’re up to … and 9 out of 10 times it’s the lights during that time,” he said. “I’m really big into the community, and if something like this brings business and financial stability to our area, then by all means, go for it.”