Kokomo Urban Outreach, Anna’s Acres bring Christmas walk to western Howard County
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Someone would have to be a real Grinch to not appreciate Christmas lights, and what better way to enjoy them than to walk along a wooded trail, surrounded by twinkling, colorful strings of the festive decorations.
Christmas lights lovers of all stripes will have the opportunity to do just that over the next two weekends as Kokomo Urban Outreach and Anna’s Acres team up to present Urban Lights, Country Nights. Taking place Dec. 12-13 and Dec. 19-20 from 5-9 p.m. each evening, the event celebrates the season while helping KUO with its ongoing mission to make a difference in young people’s lives.
According to Todd Melloh, co-owner of Anna’s Acres with his wife, Carrie, the couple purchased Crown Haven, an equine boarding facility on Howard County’s west side, earlier this year. Rebranding it Anna’s Acres as a nod to Carrie’s grandmother, who is a lifelong resident of the community, the couple relaunched the facility to add event space.
“We really wanted to open up to the community,” said Melloh. “So, we’re trying to do four events every year. We’re going to do a Spring Fling this coming spring. This past summer, we did a Fourth of July celebration. We invited the public out for that. And we’re going to do a Fall Festival. We did a small one this year. We’ll do a bigger one next year.
“And then the fourth one is our Christmas event. We contacted Jeff, Deanna, Corinne, and all the people at Kokomo Urban Outreach. We’re excited to partner with them and make this an annual thing where people come out and enjoy the trail of lights.”
Melloh explained that the facility had a large area of overgrowth that he and Carrie envisioned for a Christmas lights walk. The kids from KUO came out and spent many hours clearing a trail.
“They started clearing an area that was full of sticker bushes and brush and small trees,” said Melloh. “We have 100 acres out there, but we saw an area that made sense for the trail. The kids came out and started cutting with machetes, weed-eating, sawing, and taking down trees to make a pathway for us to be able to do this trail of lights.”
Once the clearing was completed, the second phase of the trail’s transformation began. The kids from KUO returned to Anna’s Acres to begin stringing Christmas lights and constructing displays.
“We received donations from the community, from commercial properties and individuals who wanted to support us,” said Melloh. “The kids came in and decorated the lights for a couple weeks, and we’re excited about opening it up to the community.”
According to Deanna Ancil, KUO’s Director of Administration and Development, Anna’s Acres offered an excellent fit for the kids. It was an opportunity to put in the sweat equity that characterizes KUO’s mission to teach young people a proper work ethic and professional behavior.
“It was a great opportunity for us to do something a little different,” said Ancil. “We’ve had a Battle of the Christmas Cookies the last couple years, but we wanted to try something new. We have so many opportunities at Anna’s Acres that we can share with the kids.”
Ancil estimated that nearly 40 kids participated in the clearing and decorating over multiple days. And their work hasn’t concluded. The KUO kids will volunteer their time at the event over the next two weekends.
Ancil is excited about the visitors and features at Urban Lights, Country Nights.
“Santa will be there,” said Ancil. “He’ll take some time from the North Pole with us on Friday and Saturday. We have Mrs. Claus. We have some of Santa’s helpers, and we also will have a nativity at the end of the walking trail.
“There’ll be a big bonfire. We’ll have s’mores and hot chocolate. And on Saturday, we’ll have a big craft fair.”
On Sat., Dec. 13, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., a craft fair will take place in conjunction with the lighting event. In addition to artisan booths, there also will be photo and petting opportunities with Harvey the Highland Cow and some mini horses. There also will be a decorating contest as well as food and hot drinks, including offerings from So Tam Good Food Truck.
“And everything is a free will donation,” said Ancil. “There’ll be four or five different opportunities to make a donation, and it all goes back to our organization.”