No Christmas Light Display at Hartwood Acres (Saxonburg: neighborhood, subsidized)

[Kippy]

I have never been, but I imagine that it was a popular tradition for families during the Christmas season. Although, with a price tag at 1.5 million dollars, I can see why the county simply can't justify the cost. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the publicity helps them find a corporate sponsor before it is too late to get started.

Lights going out on Hartwood Acres Christmas display | TribLIVE

[Bong477]

You'd think between corporate sponsorships and charging admission it could pay for itself. Guess not...

Too bad, my daughter really loved it last year.

[gbpriv]

Doesn't the admission (which actually just a suggested donation, you don't have to pay anything) all go to the charity while sponsorship covers the $1.5 mil cost of putting the display up?

It will be great this winter without all the Harts Run/Middle Road/Saxonburg traffic and people not from the area driving around at a snails pace trying to find their way home.

[Copanut]

Things change, money is tight. I have no problem with the cancellation.

[XRiteMA98]

Oh, we've been there few years ago and we have been stuck in traffic for the whole afternoon. Holly cow! I think it's very popular if there were gazzilion cars going through it at a pace slower than a snail's. We made the mistake to go on a weekend afternnon and honest to god we emerged out of it sort of like 9pm.

I'll never do this again. The beauty of the display was obliterated by the horrendous traffic.

If they do not do it this year for those of you with kids who like this kind of things I recommend to go to Ogle Bay. You could do some other activities (skiing, sledging etc) besides seeing the lights. I don;t know about the traffic there. since I have never seen those lights myself but I always get their winter brochure in the mail, so I thought it is worth mentioning to you.

[Hopes]

I don't mind the cancellation either. We went once, certainly not worthy of annual traditiion. It's not worth the traffic it brings to my neighborhood.

[robrobrob]

I would like to see it saved. Very difficult to figure out how it cost so much to produce since the light displays have already been purchased. 1.5 million is a lot of money for a light show that only brings in 160,000 for charity. Something isn't right?

I read it drew 170,000 visitors and generated 160,000 in revenue. Did they really count the number of people in each car or does it mean 170,000 cars or is it a guess. I thought the suggested donation was at least $10 a car?

[Herodotus]

Well, Olgelbay will pick up some new viewers this year.

[Impala26]

Surely to our new overlords over at UPMC, $1.5 million is a simple drop in the bucket... They could use an image boost right now.

In all seriousness, I can understand why it was cut, but there should be a reasonable push to establish corporate sponsors, as well as establishing a reasonable admission price. Find ways to do a better traffic plan, or a least post visible detour signs and the like.

[Geeo]

I never even knew that the county subsidized this. Given the tougher times, it was a good idea to pull the plug. Corporations have pulled back on their sponsorships during the recession because everybody's goiing after them after funding is cut for these types of things. There's only so much to go around.