The Winter Lightfest

The Abilene Winter Lightfest is finally here! The Lightfest that opened up again this past November will be open until December 30. It stays open from 6-9 P.M. on Friday through Sunday, and it is a great opportunity for the community to come together and experience a magical night filled with Christmas cheer and colorful lights! The Winter Lightfest is run by the United Way of Abilene, an organization that works to give back to the Abilene community every day. Many of the workers at the Lightfest such as the trail guides, shop workers, and station greeters are young volunteers from Abilene’s high schools and colleges. These volunteers work with their schools to organize groups of students to help run the Lightfest. Many of these volunteers can be found here at Wylie High School. I volunteered as a shop worker around a week ago, and I had a spectacular time! Seeing the community coming together to experience joy and get into the Christmas spirit was heartwarming. Many Wylie students volunteered alongside me, and the ACU baseball team helped run the event as well. Hundreds of families passed through during the short 3-hour period, and many smiles were seen on young kids’ faces. I feel incredibly grateful that I got to set my own life aside for a moment and contribute to something that made the day of so many wonderful people in my community. Many Wylie High School NHS (National Honor Society) members have been actively volunteering at the Lightfest as well. Being a part of NHS has been a great way to involve juniors and seniors in supporting our community, and it has emphasized the importance of giving back to the people in our town whenever we can. Wylie High School Junior, Logan Laitinen, enjoyed the opportunity as well. “Volunteering at the Winter Lightfest has been such an amazing experience. It showed me what volunteering can do to bring the community together, and I am so happy that I got the chance to volunteer there.” Logan and I are only two of the many students at Wylie who have volunteered this year, and I’m confident that many of them also realized how important giving back was for the Abilene community. Although the Lightfest is a fun event filled with thousands of stunning Christmas lights, it is much more than that. It’s a way for members all around the community to support the town they live in and to come together and enjoy a stress-free night filled with fun for everyone. Although this year’s season is beginning to come to a close, I’m certain that the Lightfest will remain a beacon of light in the Abilene community for many years to come.