Flo Randall, founder of Light Up Middletown, said she was “very pleased” with the attendance and how the volunteers decorated the park with the lights and animated displays.
“It was the prettiest it’s ever been” Randall said.
Mort said 18,612 vehicles and 93 buses drove through Light Up. The biggest night was Dec. 15 when 3,780 people in 993 vehicles attended, she said.
Sixty-four percent from the visitors resided in Butler County, followed by 17 percent in Warren County and 10 percent in Montgomery County.
During its 14-year run, more than 680,000 people have driven through the lights display, Mort said.
The event grossed $46,035, or about 71 cents per visitor. Mort said that was up 2 cents per visitor from 2011 and 6 cents from 1999, its first year. Proceeds from the event are used to purchase additional displays, repair the lights and the overall upkeep of the city park, Randall said.
Admission to the event is by donation. Those people who attend are asked to drop a donation into a mail box near the entrance. Mort said besides cash, 21 cans of fruits and vegetables, 12 foreign coins, eight poker chips, two car wash tokens, one hearing aid battery, one earring and one bed bug were donated.
Mort said the fruits and vegetables will be donated to Hope House, the city’s homeless shelter.
Randall said vandals damaged a few displays one night, but the two men were caught by Middletown police.
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