It won't be too long before Phalen Park in St. Paul is aglow with a million mulicolored lights depicting winter scenes and holiday characters. Organizers this afternoon are expected to announce the first "Holiday Lights in the Park" event, a drive-through display to raise money for various charities in St. Paul.
The event is sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and runs from Nov. 25 through Dec. 31.
People will be able to ooh and aah at the gingerbread houses, candy canes and reindeer on a half-mile route past Lake Phalen and the golf course on the city's East Side. Some displays will be stationary, others will dance in the night sky.
Charities to receive money from the event are:
• Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger-relief organization;
• Union Gospel Mission, a group that helps the poor and homeless;
• St. Paul Parks Conservancy, a nonprofit that raises money to enhance the city's parks, and
• UnderConstruction, a youth jobs program.
