MITCHELL– Spring Mill State Park Campground will again be hosting the ever-popular drive-through Holiday Lights event in the campground. The event is sponsored by the Friends of Spring Mill State Park and will run for two nights: Friday, December 6, and Saturday, December 7, from 6 to 9 pm both nights. Sara Terry and her husband Jim have been working on the event since the summer. Sixty-five campers have committed to decorating campsites for Christmas. Terry said each of the campground sites will be a different lighted Christmas scene to view as people drive through the campground.
Other state campgrounds in Indiana have holiday-lighted campground events, but Spring Mill may well be the largest. Friends of Spring Mill State Park President Teena Ligman speculates that’s because they don’t have Sara Terry. “Sara is amazing,” says Ligman, “she works with the campers year-round to get them excited about coming to events like the Vintage Camper Rally and now the Holiday Lights. For Sara’s campers, it’s a big festive event to work together on, and they have a lot of fun doing it.”
Terry agrees that the campers who signed up to decorate sites with lights and sound, and in many cases, large Christmas figures that dance and move, just for the weekend, are excited about being there, and it should be a real treat for those who drive through. The campers are competitive, and visitors who come through are asked to vote for their favorite display, so expect each site to try to outdo their neighbors! The winning campsite wins a free camping trip in 2025. For most of those who decorate their sites, the reward is watching the happy faces of the people who drive through, waving and smiling at their efforts to bring joy for the holidays.
Visitors will be charged an extra $5 per vehicle, in addition to the park entrance fee, at the campground gatehouse to drive through the campground on Friday or Saturday night to view the holiday lights. All proceeds go to the Friends of Spring Mill State Park to be used for park projects. Terry asked that people bring cash since they aren’t able to use credit cards. There is no limit to how many can fit in the car, so people can get their money’s worth and bring the neighbors, said Ligman.
Ligman noted that Spring Mill State Park visitors should also plan on visiting the Village on December 6 and 7 for Christmas in the Village. Enjoy the Village and visit the pioneer cabins and their occupants for a traditional Christmas in the late 1800s. Father Christmas will be there, and traditional musicians will be playing in the evenings. Wassail and cookies will be served in the tavern while they last. The refreshments are provided courtesy of the Friends of Spring Mill State Park. Stop and visit the Friends, who will be selling crafts in the Woodworker’s Cabin at the end of the Village.
On Friday, Christmas in the Village is open to visitors from 5 to 9 p.m., and on Saturday, it is open from 1 to 9 p.m.
