Cedarburg, WI – Illuminate Ozaukee, a drive-thru holiday light show brought to you by Ozaukee Nonprofit Center, twinkled into life for 12 nights ahead of the Christmas holiday. Over 30 local businesses and
community organizations came together to decorate the Herman A. Zeunert park for the season. Together with Ozaukee Nonprofit Center, these participants sought a festive way to shine a light on Ozaukee Counties’ nonprofit organizations.
“Illuminate Ozaukee welcomed 1,604 vehicles throughout the twelve nights, and we couldn’t have been happier with how it came together in our second year! The support we received from the community and our participants was remarkable. The goal has always been to create a light show that would bring the business and nonprofit communities together, but we continue to be touched by the dedication and creativity of our participants. Illuminate Ozaukee has grown into a truly unique and fun experience that really showcases the community spirit that goes into it.” says Carissa Barnes, Executive Director of Ozaukee Nonprofit Center.
Local organizations were invited to bring their imagination and materials to create plots of their own design. For some added fun, plots along the Illuminate Ozaukee path were then numbered to allow the community and visitors to vote for their favorite business. Hundreds of visitors voted and chose Honey Creek Orchard as the Holiday Design Champion for 2021. Honey Creek Orchard’s plot featured a one-of-a-kind light-up apple orchard that incorporated red apple ornaments, an antique farm stand truck, and white holiday birch trees. This year’s winner was able to select a local nonprofit organization that participated in the Illuminate Ozaukee drive-thru show to receive a $250 donation from the Ozaukee Nonprofit Center. Honey Creek Orchard decided to split the donation equally between the 10 participating ONC agencies. Those agencies included Advocates of Ozaukee, Mr. Bob’s Under the Bridge, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ozaukee, Sirona Recovery, Habitat for Humanity – Ozaukee, IndependenceFirst, Forward Careers, Your Best Life, Lutheran Social Services, and Interfaith Caregivers of Ozaukee.
“We were especially proud of the positivity surrounding this event, and we are thrilled to be offering this event to the community,” says Barnes. “We look forward to seeing what the community comes up with next year”.
To learn more about Ozaukee Nonprofit Center or the Illuminate Ozaukee event, please visit ozaukeenonprofitcenter.org.