Holiday lights another success for Cataract Lake Water Corp.

Wearing an Indian headdress made by a family member, Llona Reynolds poses with the Snow Princess during the Cataract Lake Water Corporation’s annual holiday lights display.

Courtesy photo

POLAND — There were again plenty of lights to be seen at the Cataract Lake Water Corporation’s “Holiday in Lights” drive-through to end 2022. A record number of vehicles passed through the display.

The number of lights displayed increased again this year thanks to employees of South Central Indiana REMC. Lights were added to the next level of the water tower.

It was “anything goes” this year for decorations. There were some patriotic scenes and a new addition of Fred, Barney and the Flintstones gang. There were also a gnome village and a teepee tree. The CLWC’s Christmas farm was a feature item along with the little red truck, with extra tree branches provided by Lieber State Recreation Area.

The new drive-through addition was also transformed into a gingerbread house. Meanwhile, this year’s live Nativity scene was performed by Trisha Gray and her family. Also new to the display was a farm scene with cows, roosters and pigs and a farm family performed by the York family. Santa and Mrs. Claus were also on hand to welcome guests.

Along with canned goods for the local food pantry, several toys were collected as well for the Poland Volunteer Fire Department’s toy drive. Volunteer firefighters also conducted traffic control for the event.

In addition, the winners of the children’s coloring contest were Declan Williams (ages 2-5), Gavin Mann (ages 6-9), Keelyn Scott (ages 10-12) and Alli Fearnow (ages 13-16). Meanwhile, the winner of the senior coloring contest (age 62 and older) was Annie Leach, with a tie for second place between Marie Nees and Carole Young.

Individuals, customers, organizations and businesses which made the event possible include the following: Amanda Williams, Christian Williams, Carol Booher, Cataract General Store (Ford family), Christina Salsbury, Cloverdale Agri Center, Cloverdale McDonald’s, Connie Warner, Crane Credit Union, First National Bank, Jessica Vieira, Kathy Weist, Kylie Perry, Lieber SRA staff, Marcy’s Jewelry, Matt Perry, McCammon Agency, Danny Rodenburg and spouse, Ray Walden and spouse, NAPA, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Robert Langdon and Jennifer Johnson, Sheree Stanfill, Taylor’s Hardware, Tim Brickert and the Perry family.

“This display would not be possible without the dedication of our employees and their families, board members and numerous volunteers who look forward to this event each year,” CLWC secretary Teresa Gilbrech remarked.