Celebration of Lights

When I added "tour a Christmas lights display" to my birthday bucket list, I didn't expect that I would tour it this way.

Hartwood Acres Mansion
I received a flier this past weekend about a walk/run through the 2 million lights at Hartwood Acres in Hampton Township. A donation of $10 per person goes toward Project Bundle Up. I decided to check it out.

The course is 3.5 miles (although there are short cuts making it 2.5 if you so choose). It sounded like a great evening walk to me, so tonight I headed over to the municipal building where a shuttle would take me to the lights display.

The park was packed with people of all ages. Volunteers handed out glow sticks, a jingle bell necklace, and water. Hot chocolate, water, and snacks were available midway through the course.

It was a great night for being out. While it had rained earlier in the day, no rain was in the forecast for the evening hours. The temperature (although I have no idea what it was) was perfect for a brisk fall walk. It was definitely more fun to walk the lights than to drive through them.

This event is in its 7th year and they anticipate raising $40,000 for Project Bundle Up.

Hartwood Acres will open to car traffic this Friday, November 18. Read more about this Pittsburgh tradition here.

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