By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
PERRYSBURG—The woods at W.W. Knight Nature Preserve are full of wildlife and lights this weekend.
Bears, deer, elk, a cougar, badger and skunk are among the woodland creatures adorned in lights and part of themed displays at the Wood County Park District’s Wild Lights. Today (Sunday, Jan. 18) is the final day for the event. It runs from 5-8 p.m. at the nature preserve located at 29530 White Road.
Creativity reigns in all 10 of the displays this year.
Rossford Library’s display celebrates its 90 years of service in its display. The featured deer is “feeding” on some deer-related literature, including the obvious “Bambi,” and other tongue-in-cheek titles, such as “Book of Fawny Jokes,” “Uncle Buck” the movie, and “Deerton Abbey.” There is also a reference to “Hoofla” – the book-borrowing app, apparently for deer.
Smith Bonds & Surety spoofs the internet meme “6-7” in its display. A big elk is wrapped in lights, standing behind the red-lighted numbers with a nod to the middle school joke without a punchline. Or is it meant to imply that the lighted elk is the “in” display for the year?
A group of Bowling Green-area moms and their children had fun with their chosen critters—a striped skunk, squirrel and American badger.
Using the beloved Bluey cartoon for the theme, Leah Pekarik, Jackie Malone, Beth Nester and their kids, created a scene with the skunk, badger and squirrel costumed as Bluey, Bingo and Muffin playing “Keepy Uppy.”
This was their fifth year of participating in Wild Lights.
“I think we fell upon it just because it was COVID at the time, and we got a notification from Craig Spicer, who’s in charge of it at Wood County Park District,” Pekarik said.
The first year, they had the giant elk. They ended up dressing up the elk like a referee, overseeing a bunny football game, since the time for the Super Bowl was near.
“Our motivation has always been rooted in having a fun, free activity that was kind of different,” she said. “It’s a creative outlet with friends, supporting the local parks. It’s also a way show the kids, this is how you support the communities that are important to you. It’s a value we want to pass on to our kids.”
Each year, the event has gotten bigger and better, Pekarik said.
Another Bluey theme was used by Nature’s Nursery. Paired with a howling wolf, a cutout Bluey stands face-to-face with the force of nature.
Five (almost six)-year-old Lucas Mickael couldn’t decide if he liked the wolf and Bluey display best or the lighted cougar, designed by the Lake High School National Honor Society.
As he and his mother, Hannah, enjoyed cookies provided by the Penta Culinary Arts program and served by Friends of the Wood County Parks, and cocoa by Maddie and Bella’s, Lucas ultimately decided he would vote for the cougar.
The Wood County Park District will announce winners and post additional photos later this week on the park district’s Facebook account.
