SEELEY LAKE – This Saturday community members and businesses are invited to build a float, decorate their vehicles, trailers, UTVs and ATVs and meet at the Seeley Lake Chicken Coop at 5 p.m. for the Christmas Caravan of Lights. Organizer Mike Weigel said the caravan, with their lights and Christmas music playing, will drive around Seeley Lake, through the Double Arrow Ranch and possibly around the lake. There will also be hayrides, a bonfire and music playing at the Chicken Coop parking lot for those that just want to come and have fun.
“Just come and join in,” Weigel said. “Whether you are going to light up something or just come and watch or hang out and celebrate Christmas.”
Weigel moved to Seeley Lake from Missoula a year ago. When he started asking people around the community if there was a Parade of Lights or Winter Carnival he was told that hadn’t happened for several years.
“That’s not right,” Weigel said. “That is half the reason I came up here.”
One day at the Chicken Coop, Weigel and his friends, Seeley Lake summer resident Mike Williams and Chicken Coop owner Mike Layman, started talking about putting together a Caravan of Lights for Christmas. After realizing there was no one that they needed to get permission from and after asking around and finding that no one else was doing anything similar, they decided to organize it.
Weigel said the word spread quickly about the event. He specifically reached out to area businesses and asked the Shriners from Missoula to join.
“We do this kind of stuff all of the time,” said Weigel who is on the board of directors for the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Spokane and is a past potentate with the Shriners along with Williams. “The Shriners’ favorite parade is the Fourth of July parade here. I think we will have 10 to 15 Shriners here.”
For those wanting to ride in the Caravan of Lights, there will be hayrides to ride and view the light displays on homes along the way. Hayrides will continue after the Caravan as well as music and a bonfire in the Chicken Coop parking lot for people to enjoy.
The entire event will be held outside. Everyone is asked to practice social distancing.
“Everyone I’ve talked to has jumped into the spirit,” said Weigel who is expecting a good turn out. “Obviously we are shooting from the hip on this but we hope it grows back into a week-long winter carnival.”
Weigel continued, “We want anyone and everyone to join in. It’s going to be fun. We need this just to get everyone’s spirits up.”
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