l2A -- The Mic higan Daily - Friday, December 8, 1995L O C ALA T TM LIGHI LASERSAND PIZAOFCRSM Ann Arbor light display draws crowds from Michigan, the Midwest By Megan Schimpf Daily Staff Reporter Blue and green lasers beckon visitors from places far away, while 800,000 little lights attract people from nearby. The Christmas Light Display draws thousands nightly to Domino's Farms, where lights dance in the darkened skies. "We drive by here on the way to see family and we always see it and say, 'We should come to see it,"' said Roxane Miller of Beverly Hills, Mich., who brought her family to see the display. Domino's Christmas Light Display, one of the largest light shows in the Midwest, is a tra- Sj dition for many t people in Ann Ar- bor and southeast Christna Michigan. For 2 1/2 miles wind- ing around the pizza company's the fun # world headquar- ters, visitors see n do . lighted religious figures and scenestracing the Beverly Hills, story of the birth of Jesus. The display is open from 6-10 p.m. every night until Dec. 31. The minimum donation is $5 per car. The proceeds, minus expenses for the show, are given to more than 130 charities throughout southeast Michigan. More than $250,000 has been donated in the last two years. An arch of snowflakes and angels ushers each car onto the path, while wise men and shepherds, following the biblical tale, travel toward the nativity scene. A 40-foot Santa Claus kneels at the cradle of the baby Jesus in another scene while a choir sings in front of a stained glass window on the other side of the road. "I think it creates the spirit of Christ- mas for people," said Helen D'Sa, an LSA senior who volunteered at the show. "It has a Christian orientation about it, and that's what the holiday is really about. U S 14 S N "It helps people to celebrate the holi- day season and bring the joy of Christ- mas." Scott Lorenz, director of Christmas Celebration, a non-profit organization created to organize the display, said the show is the largest religious light show in the country. "It's out of this world," Lorenz said. "The laser beam is bouncing all over the place - it's pretty amazing. People love it. It's really something." Domino's Pizza donates the use of the lights to Christmas Celebra- tion in order to raise goodwill in Otrfthe community, said Joanne Em- ery, operations manager for Christmas Cel- o allebration. "The corpora- .9nVO o; tion wants to give something back to the community and at the same Roxane Miller time spread the lich., resident true story of the birth of Christ," Emery said. In its fourth consecutive year, the light show has grown beyondjust lights. The laser show, new this year, can be seen from 20 miles away. The beams sweep around the grounds and into the sky. While most light shows usually keep visitors in their cars, Domino's Christ- mas Light Display also includes a in- door creche show, which features many different nativity scenes from the col- lection of Domino's Pizza CEO Tom Monaghan. Visitors can also walk through the Celebration of Trees, a hallway lined with Christmas trees professionally decorated with themes from sports equipment to angels to dogs to Santa Claus. Nightly entertainment includes ma- gicians, and a live Nativity Scene on Friday and Saturday nights. And, of course, there is pizza for sale. "Where-else can you go to see Christ- Domino's Farms, located in Ann Arbor, is bright with Christmas lights and decorations which the public can visit for a small fee. mas lights and eat pizza at the same time?" said Jeff Miller. The light display draws people from across Michigan, Lorenz said. "It's just the thing to do at Christmastime," Roxane Miller said. "You try to do all the fun things you can do." D'Sa said she saw people of all ages at the display. "Most people are really impressed with the atmosphere and the decor," she said. "A lot of people tell their friends about it - that's why it's so popular." Mark and Kim Slotnick of Ypsilanti brought their 2-year-old son Christian to see the lights. Christian knew what he came to see. "Santa Claus," he said, a huge smile reaching across his face. "Baby Jesus." The light display attracted about 40,000 cars last year and Lorenz said f You Go How to get there: Take Plymouth Rd. west to Earhart Rd. and turn left. Follow the signs and the lasers to the entrance of the show. Dates and times: The show is open from 6-10 p.m. nightly from now until Dec. 31. There are special activities on Friday and Saturday nights. Cost: The minimum donation is $5 per car. The proceeds, after expenses, will go to more than 130 local charities.. Refreshments: Pizza and drinks are available for sale inside. Ann Arbor Township supervisor. "It's no longer a problem." The residents came to township meet- ings to complain about the two-lane road. It has since been widened to five lanes. "We did our best to alleviate the situation," Langford said. The residents' complaints were not the reason the show was not put on for several years, Langford said. "I think it was a matter of econom- ics," she said. "It's very expensive to put on." The Christmas Light Display is also reaching beyond Ann Arbor. Using the World Wide Web, users can send cyberspace Christmas cards featuring scenes from the show and learn more about the light display. The Christmas Celebration home page is http:// christmas. branch. con. the totals for this year were higher so far. The high volume of traffic caused .problems for residents in the area of Domino's Farms in the past. The dis- play was run by Domino's, not Christ- mas Celebration, for several years in the 1980s, provoking complaints about traffic. 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