When I saw the joint news release from Reynolds and Conner Prairie issued July 24th about the future of Christmas lights, I knew it would be a big topic of conversation around Fishers, and it has been just that.

Reynolds began the decorative Christmas light display the same year I moved to Fishers, 1991. It has been a joy for me to watch the many families taking-in the free display for the past 28 years.

However, things change, whether or not we like the change.  The intersection of 126th Street and State Road 37 will be under construction during Christmas, 2019.  The area that once housed the lights is beginning to develop commercially, meaning the display is more difficult to handle at that location.

In other words, there wasn’t much of a chance the light display would ever come back as it was in 1991 and the many years that followed.

In my view, the Fishers community owes a debt of gratitude to the Reynolds family.  Their business has thrived and expanded since the enterprise started in 1955.  Reynolds has been a strong supporter of this local community for a very long time.  The Christmas light display is just one example.

Reynolds has always supported Conner Prairie, so it is no surprise that when Reynolds needed to take the Christmas lights elsewhere, the local museum was contacted.

Allow me to also say a word about Conner Prairie.  I worked for the federal government over a 28 year career.  When people visited Indianapolis from out of town on government business, one of the first questions often asked was, how does one find Conner Prairie?  Our local museum has a national, and international, reputation.

So, yes, Conner Prairie will charge an admission fee so you can watch the Reynolds Christmas light display, but the lights are just a part of the overall celebration.  It is clear the Reynolds family knew that when donating the lights to Conner Prairie.

My view is that both Reynolds and Conner Prairie are valuable local assets.  Both entities worked together to keep the Reynolds Christmas light display a part of Fishers.  I think that’s a good thing.