Neighbors make final touches before Candy Cane Lane opens
Donations from the West Allis holiday attraction fight childhood cancer
Donations from the West Allis holiday attraction fight childhood cancer
Donations from the West Allis holiday attraction fight childhood cancer
In the final hours of daylight before opening night on Candy Cane Lane, neighbors are finishing some last-minute preparations for the annual light display between 92nd and 96th streets and Montana and Oklahoma avenues.
Between all the drilling and stapling lights to her light-up nativity scene, Christine Conway said it's a busy time of year for her.
"Work schedules, family schedules, just we only really have the weekends to work on it, so. And then I get some ideas, last-minute ideas," Conway said, laughing.
Others, like Tyler Mullikin, had technical difficulties before the festivities started.
"I ran into some problems with some of the lights. Some of them are out," Mullikin said. "So I did go dig in my bins and find some more and revamp some stuff and get rolling."
No matter how long these decorations take for the more than 300 homes that participate, Conway is glad to spread holiday cheer.
"We had a couple of people last year come knock on our door and leave us notes in our mailbox saying that they really liked the Nativity and they really you know, it made them very happy," Conway said.
Candy Cane Lane started in 1984 and donations from visitors go to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer — the MACC Fund — to research childhood cancers and blood disorders.
The MACC Fund's events coordinator, Alli Neumann, said the goal for this year is $150,000.
"Candy Cane Lane has raised over $3 million and actually a half a million of that has been raised just within the last three years," Neumann said.
Candy Cane Lane runs from Nov. 24 until Dec. 25. Times for the light display are:
6-9 p.m. Monday - Thursday
6-10 p.m. Fridays
5-10 p.m. Saturdays
5-9 p.m. Sundays