WADENA – It's great to make the future less bleak and foreboding during the holidays.
Our Valley's annual Christmas light show does just that while entertaining crowds by raising food and money for those in need. The holiday fundraiser collected 173 pounds of food and $1,373.39 in donations for the Wadena Share Project, according to a news release.
“Over the past 16 years, Christmas in our Valley has raised more than 6,096 pounds of food and $27,384.34, 100% of which has gone to the food shelf,” said J.B. Anderson, the show's creator and host.
Project Share Director Mary Ann Hagen and Anderson recently unloaded and weighed food collected from Good Samaritans to help stock the shelves, and Anderson handed Hagen a check from this year's donations.
“To truly alleviate hunger in our community, it is important that we first shift the thinking behind hunger relief,” Anderson said. “Obviously, providing a bag of groceries to someone in need today is important. But how do we make that person not in need tomorrow?”
The Holiday Lights Display was free to enjoy and provided an opportunity for people to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Christmas season with Christmas in our Valley's twinkling lights synchronized to holiday music played on 88.1 FM, a radio station dedicated to the event.
“Implementing sustainable systems that feed our neighbors who need it most while helping them get back on their feet and be in a position to help others is key to ending the cycle of hunger,” Anderson said.
According to the USDA, 12.8% (17 million) of American households were food insecure at some point during 2022; This meant that families were unsure whether they had or could not obtain enough food to meet the needs of all their members.
Christmas in Our Valley raised 65 pounds of food and $1,668.91 in donations in 2022, according to Anderson's website.
“The economy is stressing people out,” Anderson said Wednesday, Jan. 3. “Wadena County is one of the poorest counties in the state of Minnesota.”
Since 2008, the community has turned to holiday lights displays as a source of joy and tradition. And that joy, along with giving back to the community, is something Anderson relishes as he sets out every year to hang thousands upon thousands of twinkling lights on the outside of his home.
“It has become increasingly clear that providing our hungry neighbors with information about available resources is as important as the source of the food itself,” Anderson said. “What good is a food source if no one knows about it?”
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The Wadena Christmas Holiday Light Show was held at 414 Third Street SW and this year began on November 23rd and ran through January 1st. Anderson, a longtime Wadena resident, purchased the computer software that allows him to write the code used to synchronize the lights and music.
“I am a very creative person, musician, pilot, national speaker and writer,” Anderson said. “The only person who sees all this is my wife and she frequently tells me: ‘People have no idea what’s in your creations.’”
One of his latest creations includes a 1,100-pound array of Christmas wreaths and a video screen so large that it exceeds the first story of his home. The giant garland includes over 27,000 LED lights and 22,000 feet of garland.
The economy is putting pressure on people. … Wadena County is one of the poorest counties in Minnesota.
J.B. Anderson
“It needs a crane to lift it into place and a special trailer was made to transport and store it,” Anderson said. “It took a year to make. It takes about 500 hours to set up… 52 computers, 440 amps of power.
Attendees of the annual fair were encouraged to bring a donation item to the food shelf, a cause Anderson said is near and dear to his heart.
“I'm paying for this on my own dime,” Anderson said of footing the bill for Christmas in our valley. “(But) when I help out on busy nights parking and steering cars, the joy I personally see in the eyes of people of all ages, along with the thank-you stories of them who attend annually, is heartwarming.”
Frank Lee is a feature writer for the Wadena Pioneer Journal. He can be reached at 218-631-6470 or at
escape@wadenapj.com
.
I cover the Wadena, Minnesota, community and write feature stories for the Wadena Pioneer magazine. The weekly newspaper is owned by Forum Communications.
