By Scott Smith
This Thursday, a group of local kids will pull the switch to light up We Care Park. They might want to bring sunglasses.
The brainchild of the Wyant family, We Care Park is perennially the brightest Christmas display in Kokomo.
It could easily vie for statewide honors; the lumens are extraordinary.
Mike Wyant, the local businessman and city councilman who started the annual light show in 1995, just keeps adding and adding and adding.
He does it to benefit We Care, the charity that aids families in need during the holiday season.
When the lights are ready to be turned on at 6 p.m. Thursday, the honor will fall to a group of local kids.
Many of their parents work at Omelety’s, and the owner of the west side establishment Erick Carmona bid $2,500 to gain the honor. The money all goes to We Care.
Wyant, who eats regularly at Omelety’s, said Carmona has been unbelievably generous this year, selling discount cards for $10 apiece, with the money collected going to We Care. On Thursday, Carmona will host a public Thanksgiving dinner at Omelety’s, 602 St. Joseph Drive, and freewill donations from that event will go to We Care.
Wyant is impressed.
“[Carmona] is just a giving man, what can I say?” Wyant offered.
During We Care season, a steady stream of cars drive slowly along Gano Street to see the lights.
The park runs along the west side of the 2300 block of North Market Street and may be entered off of Gano Street to the north. With the consent and help of his neighbors on his block, there are also decorations along the east side of the street.
It’s a part of the neighborhood now, with homeowners pitching in.
Last year, Wyant was showing off a bunch of new stuff.
“Most of the stuff you’ll see is new from last year,” he said before the 2008 lighting. “I added nine truckloads of stuff that I bought at after-Christmas sales and every bit of it is out there.”
Last year, Wyant’s next-door neighbor, Edwina McBee, even set up two mannequins — dressed up as late WWKI personalities/We Care founders Dick Bronson and Charlie Cropper, in her garage. The mannequins were sitting in a 100-year-old sleigh with snow, trees and toys.
And once something is added to We Care Park, it usually comes back, year after year.
Wyant estimates there are more than 1 million lights in the display.
“This is for the community,” is his standard line.
The light show runs every night from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. until just after Christmas. People can walk or drive through the display and are asked to make a donation to We Care.
• Scott Smith is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He may be reached at 765-454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com
