Many headed to a special light display that brightened spirits in Meriden on Christmas Day.
But this year severe weather forced crews to briefly dim the show.
Families loaded into cars to gaze out at a brilliant holiday drive-thru light display in Hubbard Park.
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“We just like the whole experience. We’ve done it every year with our kids. And now our kids are off with other family members for Christmas. So we said we got to keep the tradition going,” said Michael Paul of Berlin.
But this year the city’s Festival of Silver Lights needed to be temporarily paused.
The Parks & Recreation Department reported the event had to close down in the interest of public safety on Friday due to rain, high winds and potential icy conditions.
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Crews were back in on Saturday to work on restoration to have it ready to reopen on Christmas Eve.
“Pleasantly surprised and it’s beautiful as always,” said Michele Fischer-Paul from Berlin.
“I thought it was pretty cool. My first time experiencing it. It’s pretty cool,” said Hemza Toom, who was visiting from Florida.
Toom was among those checking out hundreds of thousands of twinkling, white lights.
He’s visiting family here.
“It is a little different. Florida is hot there; hot and humid. Here it’s nice and cold. I kind of like it,” Toom said.
The holiday spirit warming hearts one carful at a time.
There is plenty of time to check out this incredible display.
It runs through January 2 and best of all, it’s free.