Holiday Sparkle ends on a bright note
December 22, 2020
Gray’s Creek Holiday Sparkle celebrated its final evening of their drive-through light experience on Sunday, December 20th. After an extremely successful couple of weeks and the joy it brought to the community, the Holiday Sparkle team wants to thank all of their sponsors, donors, volunteers, tree decorators, businesses, partners, and so many more for making the event a success.
A few partners who helped make the event possible on the ground were Cornwall Tourism and the Raisin Region Conservation Authority.
The event organizer, Kelly Bergeron, had this to say about the outpouring of support: “The Holiday Sparkle event snowballed into something so much bigger than we imagined and surpassed all of our expectations. The event also served to highlight the benefits of placemaking initiatives and the positive benefits they bring to a community.”
The event was free but donations were welcome – and overwhelming. With over $16,000 raised for the United Way and over 15,000 pounds of food raised for the Agape Centre, the event’s organizers are so grateful for the tremendous support that came from all corners of the community.
Some of the other key accomplishments included:
– Over 5,300 vehicles were booked to drive through Gray’s Creek.
– Over $570 in monetary donations were collected for the Agape Centre.
– Dozens of volunteers signed up, many whom had to be put on a wait list due to the abundance of sign ups.
– Over $10,000 in monetary sponsorships helped cover the cost of lights and installation. Over $20,000 of in-kind donations made the event possible. Many organizations and businesses loaned generators.
– This past Saturday, Holiday Sparkle was the backdrop of a wedding proposal.
– The event took a month to plan, and the organizers are looking at getting a head start to bring another experience like this back for Christmas 2021.
Thank you to the entire community who came out and shared the experience with so many positive comments shared over social media and in-person. The team at Holiday Sparkle is grateful to you all.
About The experienCity Project
The experienCity Project promotes vibrant communities and is a program of the Social Development Council of Cornwall and area. We inspire people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public space, we work to strengthen the connection between people and places. We use a collaborative process to promote better urban design.
About Gray’s Creek
Located just east of Cornwall north of County Road 2 and east of Boundary Road, Gray’s Creek Conservation Area offers over 43 hectares of natural landscape for the enjoyment of both residents and visitors. This diverse area is protected, enhanced and restored by the Raisin Region Conservation Authority.
Gray’s Creek includes 6.4 kilometers of meandering trails that are open year round, allowing users to enjoy nature in all its seasonal settings. Explore the trails and keep an eye out for the wide variety of animals, songbirds, amphibians and waterfowl that inhabit this significant Conservation Area. Geocaches are also hidden with the trail system.
For additional information on Gray’s Creek, please click here.
Play it safe!
We all have a part to play in combating the spread of COVID-19. Residents are encouraged to wear masks in indoor public spaces and practice frequent hand washing and physical distancing. For the latest guidelines and restrictions related to COVID-19, please visit the Eastern Ontario Health Unit website.
#exploreCornwallON
Looking for other fun things to do in Cornwall? Check out the Explore section of our website for other fun-filled activities to keep you busy. Better yet, consider extending your stay with a night at one of our great accommodations!
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