SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Lights on Lotta, a vertical Christmas light display in south central Sioux Falls, doesn’t exactly pop up overnight.
“It takes over a month to set up,” said Ryan Borns, who lives in the neighborhood.
Borns is one of the organizers of the display on Lotta Street which brings in money for Big Paws Canine Foundation and K9s For Warriors. When KELOLAND News spoke with him Monday, he said Sunday night was electric.
“The beginning of the season started out a lot slower, and now it’s just more than ever,” Borns said. “Last night was our most successful night ever.”
He says traffic for Lights on Lotta has stretched out recently on Minnesota Avenue north to Interstate 229 and south to 57th Street. A short drive away in central Sioux Falls, traffic can also stretch away from the popular lights at Falls Park and its Winter Wonderland.
“People expect that,” said Teri Schmidt, CEO with Experience Sioux Falls, which was previously the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The first couple years when we did it, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we had to wait.’ Now it’s like, ‘Oh, okay.'”
And if you haven’t had a chance to check out these two displays, there are still a few more nights left. Winter Wonderland will shine until Jan. 5, while Lights on Lotta will finish a few days before that, wrapping up after the first day of 2025.
“We’ll put the lights on solid for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and have ‘Auld Lang Syne’ playing,” Borns said.
