Lights, Snow and Santa! Phelps County will be shining bright this holiday season with favorite holiday traditions of the past along with new magical holiday traditions.
Old Traditions
Brad and Kathy McInturf will be the brightest spot in Phelps County with their elaborate Christmas light display. They light up their property with more than 80,000 lights and scenes featuring gingerbread house villages, snowmen, Santa, boxer dogs and the Christmas nativity.
The McInturfs have been sharing this special gift with the community at their home at 110 Nobes since the 1970s.
The McInturfs will power up their lights just before Thanksgiving and will keep them on each evening through the second week of January.
For a glimpse of the light display, search Holdrege light display on YouTube.
New Traditions
The Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce started its Winter Festival in 2021, and the event returns bigger and better this year. The Santa’s Sleigh 5K (organized by the YMCA) and a lighted parade will return. New this year is a snow-making machine for creating snowmen and sledding.
The Winter Festival will be Saturday, Dec. 10. The morning starts with a Cookie Walk at the United Methodist Church followed by the Lions’ Pancake Feed. The YMCA will host Santa’s Sleigh 5K at 10 a.m.
New this year is the Freeze the Day Sledding Hill, Snowman Makers’ Space and Holiday Dazzle Walking Tour on the Phelps County Courthouse lawn in the afternoon.
Kids can ride on the firetruck with Santa from 2-4 p.m. and can visit him again at the YMCA from 5-6:30 p.m. where they can also make “gingerbread houses” and enjoy a tree-lighting ceremony.
The day ends with the Holiday Parade of Lights in downtown Holdrege at 7:30 p.m. and the Reindeer Dash from 6-10 p.m.
Visit holdregechamber.com for details or ymcaoftheprairie.org for details.
Don’t miss these other Phelps County holiday events:
Nov. 18 – Bertrand Hollidazzle, 5-8 p.m.
Dec. 3 – YMCA Christmas Blitzen Craft Show, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dec. 3 – Bertrand Hallmark Christmas, 2-5 p.m.
Dec. 3 – Cool Yule, A Nordic Holiday Celebration, The Tassel
Dec. 18-20 – YMCA Polar Express, 6 p.m., 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. each night
While in town enjoying lights, don’t forget to stop at a local restaurant for a special taste of Phelps County.
