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A tunnel of lights helps set the “Winter Wanderland” mood.
Photo by Erin Sanchez
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP — Glenlore Trails in Commerce Township has undergone a transformation and is now filled with the holiday spirit. The annual “Aurora Winter Wonderland” interactive light show opened Nov. 15 and will be open on Thursday and Friday nights through Dec. 29.
The trails were transformed from spooky for Halloween to festive for Christmas in a mere 14 days by 25-30 people. The work involved swapping out all the scenery, moving things around on-site and reprogramming a lot of lights.
According to a press release, “Aurora,’ commonly known as the northern lights or southern lights, is a natural light display in the Earth’s sky, and that is the experience that will captivate guests under a shimmering sky of brilliant lights, as they venture into the forest of Glenlore Trails.”
“The Aurora theme just felt right for the original concept. It wasn’t necessarily a holiday-themed show the first year, but a wintry display of lights,” said show founder Scott Schoeneberger, managing partner of Bluewater Technologies, which operates the trails.
Although the theme is the same every year, subtle changes are made to the show. This year wand activations were incorporated.
“In short, we’re finding what works best for each show, but the intent is still to have a new show each season and year over year,” Schoeneberger said.
The show will feature a few special guest appearances. This includes Velvet, a group of carolers to appear on Dec. 8, and Santa Claus on Dec. 13-15. The Santa shows require a special ticket.
“It’s definitely a labor of love. We originally started Glenlore as a way to keep our staff at Bluewater working during the (COVID-19) shutdown,” said Schoeneberger. “We produce large corporate events and brand activations across the country, so it wasn’t a stretch to design this concept. We didn’t know what kind of reaction from the community we would receive, but it’s been incredible. With people often referring to us as a “favorite family tradition,” it makes it easier to continue pushing forward.”
The show reportedly sees around 100,000 people each year. The show allows additional attendees onto the trail every 15 minutes to “keep a comfortable crowd on the trail.”
Tickets start at $20 for adults, $18 for group deals, $15 for seniors, $12 for kids ages 4-12 and can be purchased online at glenloretrails.com. Glenlore Trails is located at 3860 Newton Road in Commerce Township.
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