RAZZLE DAZZLE DAZZLE

O cean City Mayor Rick Meehan and Ocean City Elementary

"Ten Lords A Leaping," part of the Twelve Days of Christmas, is one of several lighted attractions that will be on display at Northside Park this winter during the town's Winterfest of Lights celebration. School's "OC Stars" will be joined by hundreds of visitors at Northside Park at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, for the lighting of the Winterfest of Lights displays.

The opening ceremony for the 17th annual celebration on Thursday will begin with the "OC Stars" performing holiday songs at the 127th Street park. The children will then help Meehan throw the switch to light the winter wonderland, which features a 50-foot tree with more than 50,000 lights.

Close to one million lights will be turned on, illuminating the uptown park. More than 100 glittering and animated displays will be lit, marking the official opening to Winterfest of Lights.

Santa is scheduled to make a grand entrance to the ceremony by horse and carriage, before heading to his house inside the heated tent, where he will greet children and adults and listen as they share their Christmas wish lists. After Santa arrives, visitors will be able to take a free train ride through the illuminated village.

Winterfest Village is a heated tent at Northside Park, where visitors can find Santa, Yukon Cornelius' Gift Shop and hot chocolate. Winterfest of Lights has become a tradition for families, said Tom Shuster, director of the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department. Many come year after year to ride through the park.

"It will be another great season," he said. "It's an opportunity to have someone drive you though the huge display of lights. The guided open-air tour with music is like and amusement ride."

Because of money constraints, no new light displays were added this year, though some of the current ones have be upgraded. Many of the lights were replaced with LED (Light Emitting Diodes) bulbs, which, Shuster said, are brighter and more vibrant.

Crews began setting up the winter wonderland in early October. There is a different layout for the Winterfest of Lights displays each year in order to keep it fresh and exciting. It also challenges riders to find their favorite display in a new location.

Some of the displays people will see at Northside Park this year feature Santa, his sleigh and eight flying reindeer, the 12 days of Christmas, Wizard of Oz Emerald City, fairy tale characters, toy soldiers, crabs, marlins, "Jaws," a penguin village and dinosaurs. The huge poinsettia wreath of candy canes, a favorite among Winterfest guests, will also be in a fresh spot.

The heated tent at Winterfest will keep visitors warm as they listen to music while waiting for the Boardwalk trams to take them through the enchanted park of lights.

The tent is home to the Winterfest Village, where visitors can find Yukon Cornelius' Gift Shop filled with ornaments, stocking stuffers, souvenirs and holiday gifts.

Santa will be at his house nightly and available for pictures with children until Dec. 23. Children can also write a letter to Santa and slip it in his mailbox. A hot chocolate shop will offer cocoa, hot apple cider and coffee. There will also be live musical entertainment in the tent on some nights.

The 127th Street displays were viewed by 80,915 people last year. The total exceeded the eight-year average of 72,692 riders, but was less than the 86,844 passengers that took the 10- minute train ride the year prior. The reason for the lower turnout was because the 16th annual Winter Wonderland was in operation 42 nights (Nov. 20, 2008 through Jan. 1, 2009), compared to 48 nights in 2007-08.

"Winterfest of Lights always opens the Thursday before Thanksgiving. [Last] year, it was one of the latest days it can fall on, Nov. 27," Shuster said. "All and all, we were pleased with how things went."

Despite six fewer nights in operation, the daily attendance was up from 2007- 08. An average of 1,926 people rode the train each night through the 16th annual Winter Wonderland.

Winterfest of Lights once again made the list as one of the Top 100 Events in North America by the American Bus Association. This list includes the best events for group travel in the United States and Canada.

The Ocean City attraction was also ranked No. 1 on the Professional Travel Guide Editor's Top 10 of the nation's largest and best holiday lights displays for 2008.

In 2006, Winterfest of Lights was No. 2 in the country in the "America Online City Guide's Top 11 Lighting Displays." The Disney-MGM Studios display in Orlando, Fla. topped the list.

Winterfest of Lights will be open Sunday through Thursday, 5:30-9:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10:30 p.m. through Jan. 2, 2010. The cost to ride the train is $4 for those 10 years of age and older and free for children 9 and younger. One new addition this year is a lighted arch display on Jamaica Avenue through which visitors can walk on their way to the ticket booth.

In addition, this holiday season visitors can drive down to the inlet parking lot to view the Tunnel of Lights, which is filled with nautical themed holiday displays. People can then follow the decorations along Baltimore Avenue's, "Avenue of Trees."