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Frequently Asked Questions
How many lights are in the display?
Rotary Winter Wonderland features over 500,000 lights and dozens of additional displays.
How do the food pantries benefit?
In the first three years of our project, we have distributed over 100,000 items of food to 20 pantries in Marshfield and surrounding communities. The pantries have seen a major increase in demand for food due to the poor economy. This project allows the pantries to serve more families without adding any costs to the budget.
Our Board has also committed to writing checks to the pantries in any year in which our receipts are greater than our expenses. We hope that the amount of that donation increases each year as our project grows.
It must take forever to hang all those lights. How do you manage to set this up and take it down every year?
Through the magic of Marshfield, we blessed to have over 800 volunteers help with the set up, staffing, and take down of the project. We have many partner organizations – including youth groups, civic groups, and businesses. This project is well beyond the scope of what Rotary could do alone. We are able to set up the park in five days, and take it down in two days. Of course, we have many dedicated workers behind the scenes all year around.
December can bring some pretty tough weather. What is your cancellation policy?
Our policy is “We never close”. The park will be open every day from the day after Thanksgiving through New Years Eve from 5:00pm until 9:00pm. Of course, we have concern about our volunteers being exposed to extreme temperatures. We are taking measures to provide some relief from the weather for our volunteer groups.
It must be pretty expensive to light up the park every night. How much energy do you use?
Our electrical use is minimal because we only purchase LED lights. LED lights use only a small fraction of the energy of conventional lights bulbs. We can light the entire park for only $10 per evening.
If the energy is cheap, what are your costs?
We make a substantial investment in new lights to repair those that are damaged, and we try to add a few new features every year to keep the project fresh (wait until you see what we have in mind for 2009!). We also incur costs for insurance, storage space, and marketing.
It sounds like a pretty big investment each year. How do you pay for it?
We rely on the generosity of our community to pay for Rotary Winter Wonderland. We are grateful to our corporate sponsors, who cover about 50% of our annual costs. The rest of the expenses are paid for by voluntary donations at the gate by our guests. All money is kept in a separate account of the Marshfield Rotary Foundation, a 501(c)(3) corporation, for the exclusive use of Rotary Winter Wonderland.
What is the role of Rotary in this project?
The Rotary Clubs of Marshfield have the ultimate control and responsibility for the project. The Board of Directors of each club oversees the project. A joint committee of the two clubs is in place to guide the project as well. Rotary provides financial support, leadership, and volunteer resources.
For more information on the Marshfield Rotary Clubs, visit:
www.marshfieldsunriserotary.org
This must be great for the City of Marshfield. Do they help you pay for anything?
It is true that we bring thousands of visitors to Marshfield every year. However, we have not requested any financial support from the City of Marshfield. The City and Rotary have negotiated a Use Agreement that allows Rotary to use the Wildwood Park for our display. Under the Use Agreement, Rotary has complete responsibility for the content of the display. We do appreciate the cooperation of the zookeepers as we invade their home each year – they are gracious hosts.
How can I get involved?
We have information within our website on sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.