Lighting up lives of the less fortunate

Daniela Mohor

Friday, Nov. 16, 2001 | 3:49 a.m.

Holiday lights

The drive-through attraction is open 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It will run through Dec. 26 at Sunset Park. Admission is $10 per car. The entrance is on Eastern Avenue, south of Sunset Road.

The Opportunity Village attraction will open at 6300 W. Oakey Blvd. on Thanksgiving Day. It will be open every day from 5 to 10 p.m. until Dec. 29. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for children. Fares for the express train and the carousel are $3 and $1, respectively.

Las Vegas residents can celebrate the winter holidays and help the community at the same time.

This season Las Vegas will host two open-air light festivals designed to both entertain the valley's families and raise money for charity.

The Gift of Lights, a new drive-through light show at Sunset Park, opened Thursday, and the nonprofit Opportunity Village will inaugurate its 10th Magical Forest on Nov. 22.

At Sunset Park Las Vegans can look at more than 40 sparkling light displays, such as leaping reindeer, Santas and palm trees.

While driving around, families can also listen to Christmas songs.

"It's convenient for families to go," said Chris Meehan, president of Meehan & Associates and one of the event's organizers. The radio frequency 1430 AM will carry a broadcast of holiday music, designed especially for the event, within the park.

But with the convenience, families may lose part of the excitement. The park is large, and from the car the light displays may appear sparse and far away.

The Magical Forest, on the western side of Las Vegas, offers children and adults another kind of thrill.

As in every year of the past decade, Opportunity Village decorates a 2-acre area with hundreds of evergreens illuminated by 3 million lights.

The attraction, which will open on Thanksgiving Day with Santa arriving on a firetruck, features hundreds of 15-foot candy canes, animated figures and craft fairs.

A magical castle, Santa's toy workshop, a log cabin and a three-dimensional light display of reindeer pulling a sled are among the wonders of the Magical Forest.

Visitors can walk the park's paths through the artificial-snow covered forest or take a small yellow train for a tour. This year the attraction will also have a carousel.

Proceeds from both the Gift of Light and the Magical Forest will benefit charities.

About 20 percent of the Gift of Light earnings will go to the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department's scholarship fund. The event will also be an opportunity to collect clothing for Goodwill.

People bringing a bag of clothes will benefit from a $2 rebate on their admission ticket.

Opportunity Village, on the other hand, will use the funds collected through the Magical Forest for its vocational, training and employment programs for the mentally handicapped in Southern Nevada.

Last year the forest, which is the organization's main fund-raiser, attracted 200,000 people and brought in $975,000. This year organizers hope to exceed $1 million.

"We heavily rely on the support of the community at the Magical Forest," said creative director Jim McCoy. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, times have been difficult at Opportunity Village, he said.

The charity has registered a drop in donations, and because of the economic slowdown it lost part of the job opportunities it was able to offer through its work center, McCoy said.

Raising money for such causes is the purpose, but organizers get involved for more personal reasons..

"Events like this bring families together," said Linda Smith, founder of the Magical Forest. "It's not tied to the gaming industry; it's just the community. It's a very novel and unique family attraction."