La Salle Celebration of Lights raised $139,000, saw 21,600 vehicles

La Salle’s Celebration of Lights reports a successful season, bringing in 21,600 vehicles through its gates and $139,917 in donations.

While the light show brought in a substantial amount of donations, it’s not enough for the city to see a profit. This year, the city invested $76,412 to make the light show possible.

La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove said the goal of the Celebration of Lights isn’t to make money for the city. Instead, it’s to provide a free activity for families, put La Salle on the map and attract new businesses while supporting existing ones.

Jackie Curran, of Casey’s in La Salle, said business increases noticeably during the Celebration of Lights. She said she gets families who come in for hot chocolate, a pizza or snacks after they go through the light show.

“It’s very nice to see people get out there and see the lights, it’s a very beautiful thing and I’m glad people appreciate them,” Curran said.

Ryan Anderes, co-owner of Uptown Grill in La Salle, said the restaurant sees groups and families who drive an hour or more to come see the Celebration of Lights.

“Because they come down just to see the lights, they come down and make a trip of it,” Anderes said. “They see what the festival is about, and they come down, have a drink or two or have dinner.”

Grove said the money the city invests in the event is returned in non-tangible ways, such as increased business to local establishments.

“This is our Burgoo, this is our Pistol Shrimp,” Grove said.

Deputy Clerk Brent Bader said the city always wants to create events to boost quality of life for its residents. He said events such as the Celebration of Lights also offer an incentive for business owners to move their families to La Salle and open their business in town.

“I know it’s easy to look at it and say it’s just a big party, but it’s a good way to market La Salle and show people it’s a good place to live,” Bader said.

Hundreds of volunteers, businesses and visitors locally and out of state make the Celebration of Lights possible. Grove said without the community being passionate and involved in the event, it wouldn’t be as successful as it is.

As of Jan 19, there are six new light displays ordered for the 2023 Celebration of Lights. An additional 44 people have called the city expressing interest in ordering a display for the next year.

“It’s a really pretty cool thing that started off small and is now pretty large,” Anderes said. “It’s neat to see how people drive an hour plus to come see it, and it puts us on their map.”