Festival of Lights

December 29, 2011

Times Photos by Murray Bishoff

The Monett Chamber of Commerce's Festival of Lights ran from Nov. 23 to Dec. 30 at Monett's South Park. Here are samples from the 77 lighting displays.

A car passing under the arch at the entrance of Monett's South Park for the Festival of Lights. (Tiimes photo by Murray Bishoff)
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Another grouping of lights near the exit. From left are wrapped packages from Shelby, Tyler, Hayden and Avery Scott; a snowman from The Trunk; decorating a Christmas tree from WinTech; and an eagle from Manneco, the company manufacturing the displays. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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An overview of the main field of Monett's South Park with several lighting displays visible. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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The single largest display at the Festival of Lights is the village display sponsored by Walmart. Each year the Monett store has added a piece to the collection. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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A toy drummer display stands guard at the entrance into the first stretch of lighting displays at South Park. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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The carousel display was provided by Jack Henry and Associates. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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The balloons and dophin displays are courtesy of Brett and Gabi Gollhofer. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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Heading into the main display area, a new exhibit from Jack Fox, showing his well-known Stearman bi-plane, greets visitors. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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The electric bucket truck putting up a star was provided by Empire District Electric. The snowman at right, sprayed with lighted powder from an elf, was made possible by the Pearl Foundation. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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Lighting displays offer a chance to share whimsy, look back on Monett history and celebrate the workers of today. The train display, above, provided by Jack Henry and Associates, recalled Monett's early days as a railroad town. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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One of the biggest displays is the Old Mill, above, purchased with donations from the 2010 season. The arrangement has expanded with the addition of moving lights to serve as running water. The mill sits on the hillside as visitors descend to the exit. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)
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