The lights will be turned on from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park north of Fort Dodge. The lights will be turned on again from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 15-17 and Dec. 22-23.

The drive-thru light show is choreographed to music and includes bright, beautiful light displays sponsored by local businesses.

There will be an archway at the entrance, bright holiday lights, a 30-foot tree, and much more to see at Lights at Kennedy this Christmas.

“This year we have the most amount of displays we have ever had and right now we have about 35 different ones,” said Andy Reed, Lights at Kennedy organizer.

- Messenger photo by Britt Kudla The C and S Products display at Lights at Kennedy on Friday night.

Since Reed took over Lights at Kennedy 10 years ago, the event has grown significantly.

“The first year I did it, we had about 1,500 vehicles attend, but in the last three years we have had over 4,000 vehicles come drive through to look at the beautiful holiday displays,” he said.

Admission to Lights at Kennedy is a freewill donation, but a suggested donation is $5 per vehicle.

The freewill donations help with the upkeep and improvements to the display and lights so they can continue to hold Lights at Kennedy each year.

Historically, Lights at Kennedy used to donate directly to Backpack Buddies, which provides qualifying students with nutritious food to eat on the weekends. However, due to how large the event has become, some of the freewill donations go back to Lights at Kennedy to help with the upkeep and improvement to the displays and lights..

“We still do donate funds back to the community though,” Reed said.

They donate some of the funds to the Fort Dodge Noon Sertoma and the Fort Dodge Young Professionals.

“The Fort Dodge Noon Sertoma is in charge of the Backpack Buddies program so the donations are still going to that charity, which is why Lights at Kennedy was started in the first place,” Reed said.

For updates due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LightsatKennedy/