WHEELING, W.Va. — An increase in vehicular traffic and donations for the 35th annual Festival of Lights at Oglebay is giving resort officials hope for 2021 following a year of slumping sales and canceled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Herb Faulkenberry, the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, the 6-mile drive-thru holiday lights event with nearly 100 exhibits saw a 44% increase in traffic compared to 2019 with a 69% increase in donations from the previous year.
Faulkenberry said officials predicted a larger crowd for the event than in recent years as it gave people a way to get out of the house while being mostly drive-thru and having less interaction with other parties.
“What we had anticipated going into the Festival of Lights was that people might gravitate to the event this year because they were in total control and remain isolated in their cars if they went through the exhibit,” he told MetroNews.
“That is what happened and people turned out in force.”
The increase resulted in 57,088 vehicles going through the donation booths from November 5 to January 10 and over $785,000 donated. Faulkenberry said cars were seen from different areas of the country that had not been seen before.
He added the donations received annually go straight back into the maintenance, electric and labor of keeping the 300 acres of LED lights operational. Now the resort can look ahead and build on the new audio displays and Mansion music presentation.
“This enables us the opportunity for the first time in a few years to not just maintain the displays but look aggressively to possibility purchasing or contracting some new ones for the next year and the year after that,” Faulkenberry said.
For any vehicles that donated $25 or more, reward books were given with around $500 in value of Oglebay coupons. The packet featured anything from free hot chocolate to a discount at an overnight stay at the property, something Faulkenberry hopes helps the park all of 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy on Oglebay, like most resorts nationwide, as it forced layoffs of dozen of workers and the cancelation of one of its most popular events, the 43rd annual Oglebayfest in October.