Lights at Lake Antoine
Park decorations bigger, better in event’s third year
- LAKE ANTOINE PARK PARTNERS secretary Ann Hruska puts up lights at the park office/store at Lake Antoine. The public can vote for their favorite light display in the third-annual Lights at Lake Antoine event now underway through New Year’s. The event is free for the public. There will also be an open house at the park display from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
- THE DISPLAY FOR Granny K’s Stop & Play child care service at the Lights at Lake Antoine event, which has 40 participants this year. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
- EVEN THE GRINCH can’t dim the Guardian Flight display at the Lights at Lake Antoine. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

LAKE ANTOINE PARK PARTNERS secretary Ann Hruska puts up lights at the park office/store at Lake Antoine. The public can vote for their favorite light display in the third-annual Lights at Lake Antoine event now underway through New Year’s. The event is free for the public. There will also be an open house at the park display from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
IRON MOUNTAIN — The third-annual Lights at Lake Antoine event is underway and bigger and brighter than ever.
Forty participants are using 48 campsites, the most they can do right now, said Ann Hruska, secretary of Lake Antoine Park Partners, which organizes the event.
“That’s about the limit to allow snowplowing to happen. They still have to plow the road and have a place to put it (the snow),” she explained.
“We have a waiting list and more people than spots this year,” she said.
The event opened on Thanksgiving and extends through New Year’s Day. The public can drive through the park from dusk until 10 p.m. at no charge.

THE DISPLAY FOR Granny K’s Stop & Play child care service at the Lights at Lake Antoine event, which has 40 participants this year. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
“We told the displays to be on by 4 (p.m.), because people start driving through early,” Hruska said, adding the displays are on timers. She asks that the public follow the signs and turn left when they enter the park.
The event has continued to grow. The first year had 18 participants, then 30 last year.
Some have been in each year, including Breitung Township, Bacco Construction, Boss Snowplow, Erickson’s Jewelry, Champion Inc., WJNR, the Kiwanis Club, Coldwell Homes, the Dickinson County Road Commission, Granny K’s Stop and Play and a couple of church groups.
She said they have one group that will decorate the snow fence at the beach.
“LAPP is grateful to all these folks that put up displays. Not only is it a financial commitment on their part, but there’s a lot of creativity and team building and cold fingers that have gone into this,” Hruska said. “It’s not easy to put up these displays in the cold. The ground is hard and you have to really plan for a lot of wind and snow. It takes a lot to anchor these displays. We had a 30-mile-an-hour wind the other day and you can tell.”

EVEN THE GRINCH can’t dim the Guardian Flight display at the Lights at Lake Antoine. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
“We realize that takes a lot of effort. Some of them have been planning for a while for their display; you can tell. Every year folks kind of put a little more thought into it and it’s especially fun when it represents their business or their organization, when it really speaks about them and you see that this year,” she said.
Participants pay $30 per site and the money goes back into the event as they try to improve on the previous year. They added more lights at the entrance. Next year, they may allow pavilions to be decorated.
For the first time they will be presenting a People’s Choice award. The public can vote online on the group’s Facebook page or in person at the park office/store. More than 200 votes already have been cast.
“It’s fun to watch the changes in voting,” she said. “It’s early. There’s lots of voting time left.” Votes will be accepted until 10 p.m. Dec. 17.
The winner will receive $500 and “a cool hanging light bulb award that they can hang in their display, so if people see a large red hanging light bulb, they know they’re the winner.”
Also new this year is a open house planned from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at the office.
“One of the participants asked if they could be present in their display at some point to greet people, and put a face to those beautiful displays,” Hruska explained. “We struggled with that, because we want to make it safe and not have people driving and walking in the same place. Visitors will be able to drive through. Folks that have displays will be able to stand in their displays and give out candy or trinkets. Afterward the public can come to the office area.”
The Kingsford High School chorus will sing Christmas carols and the LAPP will provide free hot chocolate. Santa also will be on site.
“We thought that probably two hours is enough time to stand out in the cold,” she said.
“Another cool thing is we have Upper Limits Media, who will shoot some drone footage to post on Facebook so that folks near and far that can’t get out to the park can see the lights,” she said, adding they are donating their time.
Lake Antoine Park Partners also thanks the Dickinson County Road Commission for helping with traffic signage for the event. Specialty Granules decorated the front gates.
“We consider all those with displays and those who help behind the scenes as contributors to a big holiday gift to our community,” Hruska said.