The Wyoming Territorial Prison Light Show continues this year during December.
“The show in the parking lot is the same, and ideal because you can stay in your car. The one thing that has changed is in 2018 we started the Holiday Lights Trail Walk. We have it set up so people could walk. It was cancelled this year. Instead, we have three separate nights with limited tickets so they can walk around,” said Deborah Cease, the superintendent of the Wyoming Territorial Prison.
The show viewed from the parking lot is free to everyone and no registration is need prior to the event.
“I think it’s just another great utility of the property. It’s in a wonderful spot for visibility and the people on the interstate can also see it which gives a lot of light and hope when it’s dark and dreary during these times of COVID,” said Fred Ockers, the former Albany County Tourism Director. He has visited the show every year since it began in 2012.
Over 30,000 lights were used to decorate the prison. Additionally, the Fremont Electric Company donates time to decorate the 150 foot pine trees.
Cease said “We had originally been closed from October to May for the winter and my concern was I still wanted the community to know we were here. I wanted to give back to the community because of their support and helping us with their visitation.”
Cease started the event in 2012 with only red and green flood lights. Every year new pieces have been added each year.
The lights are on 5:30 to 11:30 pm and are put up the weekend after Thanksgiving and stay up until New Years Eve.
“Some people do a date night, they bring hot chocolate and cookies, families come out and bring pizza, we have older people and university people who can’t go home who come out as well,” said Cease.
Every year the staff of the territorial prison begin planning at the end of September.
“We talk about displays and new ones we are going to purchase. In October we start putting them up, even though it’s before Halloween. We try to take advantage of good, warm weather because it’s easier on the staff. We don’t hire a lighting company to come in so it’s just our staff and we’re a small staff of about six,” said Cease.
The entire show involves nine songs with the lights synchronized. The entire show is just over 20 minutes.
“We have people from Fort Collins, Cheyenne, Rawlins, and Wheatland come over and take in the show. Last year for the show we had 22,500 people come,” said Cease.
For information about how one can attend this event, visit the Wyoming Territorial Prison’s website
Other places around Laramie have also put up decorations outside for anyone to see from their cars.
The Ivinson Mansion has only set up outside decorations this year to keep social distancing.
The executive director of Laramie Plains Museum at the Historic Ivinson Mansion, Mary Mountain said, “This year we only decorated the outside for people to drive by. We have 60 volunteers who usually volunteer to put up lights. This year it was just employees working on it.”
Mountain said that it takes one month to decorate the entire Ivinson Mansion. In normal years the interior is also decorated and there can be up to 800 visitors.
Only the exterior was decorated this year to be viewed as people drive by and maintain social distancing.
