Okay, you guys know I love the Christmas season and if you really want to be enthralled in it and we're talking outdoors, you have to head over to Wellfield Botanic Gardens.

And I have my friend Jen with me here today to talk about your beautiful light display that you guys have.

Yes.

We're excited.

It's our ninth annual Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights this year.

It's only been nine years.

I feel like, you know then that, doesn't it?

The funny thing is, is we are looking at the lights a couple of weeks ago, and we had 200,000 lights for our first for your first year.

Oh my gosh.

Okay.

Now is this like a secret or can we tell people how many lights you guys have now?

1.8 million.

Oh my.

Yeah, that's what you see.

It's amazing.

It's blown up so much and are so incredibly proud.

We've been working with Landscape Illumination for years, and our horticulture team has done an amazing job at adding lights every year, new features every year, and my favorite part this year was our Christmas tree that we put inside the rotunda in our visitor center, and I walked by it to get this beautiful symbol show that you guys do, but you have to make sure you step in there.

As I can see that too.

So let's talk about what are some of the new things that people might see this year that they have?

Yes.

Due to popular demand, we added Santa.

I know the big man is coming.

He's coming, he's here.

Thursday night.

Santa is here.

He's inside our gift shop.

The very first night, we had a little mini Grinch coming in.

Oh, my gosh, very, very cute.

Okay, lots of great photo ops for the family.

For honestly all ages, I saw everything from little kids to some of our older volunteers come up.

I mean, anybody is you know, if you are in the Christmas period, how do you not get a hug from Santa during this time?

You have the holiday season, you get a hug.

So is here.

He's here every Thursday.

He's here every Thursday during the season until December 18th.

Okay, perfect.

So we have a little bit more time to visit with Santa before he heads back up to the North Pole.

Exactly.

He's got a lot of work to do.

He does.

I want to have my list as long.

We also have, Roger Carlson.

He wrote our Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights holiday book.

Oh, tell me more about that.

What is that?

It's this adorable book.

It's a children's book that he wrote years ago about our holiday lights.

Yeah, he's going to be coming in and he's going to be doing a private book signing with us this year.

Okay.

And do people need to get tickets for that?

Nope.

That's all for you.

With your admission ticket to the Winter Wonderland holiday.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay.

So some of the new additions there.

What about the lights?

I mean, how many lights did you guys have last year?

Last year we had 1.5 million.

Okay.

So we've added a lot more.

Oh, yeah.

Every year.

I know people always ask me to for my light display.

Where do they go?

Where do you put them?

Well, landscape illumination has done an amazing job with us every single year.

I don't know what we would do without them.

Honestly, I love them and our horticulture team too has become absolutely.

They've done an amazing job each year.

I'm stunned and floored by what they do every single year in so many colors.

It really is bright.

It's just incredible.

So and I know I'm looking out the window here.

You guys have some special trees out here to talk to me more.

So these are giving tree partners.

What does that mean.

So every year we try to have like 15 to 20 giving tree partners.

These are local community non-for-profit.

They come they volunteer their night or they're giving tree partner night.

And then we share ticket proceeds with them.

Oh that is incredible.

So they kind of have their own special time.

Yeah.

And so they decorated them too.

Yes.

They came out and decorated all of their trees.

You guys did a great job.

Yeah.

I have to come and look at all of them.

And then some of our Giving Tree partners as well decided to add extra little events going on during our holiday lights.

The Elkhart County Symphony is one of our Giving Tree partners.

They're going to come in and have a string quartet on their night, which is for 26.

Oh, that.

It's going to be beautiful.

Do you guys have like a calendar where we can see, like all these, where all these events are?

All of it is on our website at Wellfield Gardens.

Org.

Or you can go to our Facebook.

Oh, that's also good to know too.

Now the grounds themselves.

I know you guys put in that beautiful pavilion out there.

Stunning.

It's got a photo op in there, right?

Oh beautiful photo.

And the whole place is a photo opportunity.

We currently have Santa's sleigh in there.

If I were to recommend anything though, we have a beautiful Christmas present out on the event plaza.

Perfect for selfies.

And you can also stand under it.

And if you get the right angle, you could get a picture of the caterpillar from the children's garden as well.

Oh, that's fun too.

Now I know we have some snow on the ground now.

There's more snow coming too.

Oh, does that affect how you guys manage the crowd flow?

Well, our hort team works super early in the morning, all the way up until the show and throughout the show to clear off all the paths they come in and they'll make sure all the paths are safe and they are clear, safe for everyone when they come.

And thankfully, we have these really big, wide pathways because we provide the city with 70% of its drinking water.

So the well trucks from the city have to come into the gardens.

We got these big wide pathways that they can clear off for you.

And then the children's garden as well.

We have a couple of different fire pits throughout the garden, so something to keep you warm.

Yeah, I love that too.

Yes, I know we have some cold air on its way as well, so that's important.

Now you guys are open for regular hours.

Still, this time of year?

Yes.

We decided we're going to be open every day now, all year round.

Oh wow I know.

So right now we're open 12 to 5 during the more wintry months.

And then 11 to 6 during the summer months.

What are some of the things that people can experience here in the winter time that they might not get to experience in the summer warmer months?

I'm very excited.

Next year we have decided to host two different Sunday concerts in February and March.

Oh Jason Sapin oh, I love him.

Are you kidding me?

I can't wait to see him.

Right?

So he's going to be doing a very vibey acoustic version inside our events rooms.

Okay.

And then we'll also have the whatever brothers.

Oh very nice.

I'm very excited for them to their fan favorite at Well field.

So they're welcome home.

And let's talk about I know we're in this event space.

All of this is kind of newer for you guys too.

If someone wants to have their holiday party here or get together, oh, baby showers, all that can stuff, they can still do that here, right?

Yes.

Come, come to our website.

We have plenty of opportunities for you to come and rent out these beautiful spaces.

We actually held the rental last night for it.

We're at they had their holiday party in here and they absolutely loved it.

And it was a great time.

And I can imagine with the backdrop of all of the lights, I mean, how can you not?

I'm if you're to do it during our holiday lights rentals as well, you get access to the gardens too.

Oh well, that is important to know.

Okay.

Now, I know you guys have big things coming up for next year or two.

Do you want to talk a little bit about that?

Yep.

We have those two concerts.

Our education coordinator, Christy, has been doing an amazing job at planning all of our events, I believe.

If I'm not mistaken, I saw a matcha tea making coffee.

Oh.

She is.

We're going to come back for that one.

Oh, that's a good.

That sounds good.

That's a great one.

Yes, we'll definitely be doing that one I love it.

So you guys have lots of stuff on the docket for next year.

But so much to see and do here.

And I love that you guys are open all year long.

Now for the people, the opportunity to experience the space in all four seasons.

Exactly.

And I think there's plenty of people that will love to come out into the gardens and still see it in the winter time, still experience walking around in our wintry Paradise with a little bit of snowfall.

And for a lot of people, this is a family tradition.

100% sure if you're bringing their friends in along with them too.

I know I have friends who come here every year, and they keep adding all of our friends into it.

Over there, the crowd keeps getting bigger and bigger, which is why the sidewalks are wider and wider, right?

Awesome.

Well, thank you so much.

Where can people get information?

How do they get their tickets?

Go to Wellfield gardens.org/winter Wonderland holiday lights or you can go to our Facebook as well.

Awesome.

Thank you so much and always a pleasure to see you.

Come on out.

We'll see you here with all of the lights in the winter wonderland.