Santa has new digs at the Festival of Lights in Mt. Pleasant

Children and families wanting to visit Santa this year were in for a real treat because Santa has a new house at the Festival of Lights in Mt. Pleasant. Built over the summer, the new house features plenty of room for families to wait to talk to Santa and his elves while staying out of the cold.

“We had some cold nights during 2019 for people to see Santa,” said Terry McWilliams, CEO of the Midwest Old Threshers. “In the old building, you could fit Santa in there, and maybe one family at a time. Most people were standing outside in a long line.”

The interior of the house is warm and cozy, with wood walls and ceiling, a huge fireplace and an Alpine Village on permanent display that was donated by Paul and Joyce Dennison.

“Joyce had been collecting the village parts for more than 40 years,” said Melinda Huisinga, Director of the Old Threshers Foundation Board. “This is Santa’s House, and it will be decorated like this all year long.”

“At the end of 2019, we decided that because the Festival of Lights was growing, we wanted to have a place that was nice, that people could go to see Santa after seeing the Festival of Lights,” said McWilliams.

“We then got real creative, and made the plans for the new building to be for multiple use throughout the year,” explained McWilliams on the design of the new Santa House. The house, that seats 60, is available for small organizations and families to rent out for events and meetings throughout the year.

More than 90 families and local business, along with building grants, were responsible for the construction of the new house.

“We began fundraising in early 2020 to be in the house by Christmas,” said McWilliams. “We got a lot of support through local foundations and local individuals, it was just amazing the support that we got from everyone involved.”

In 2020, the event set attendance records with more than 9,000 vehicles touring the Festival of Lights coming 73 counties in Iowa and 35 other states. More than 300 families will celebrate the holidays with Santa on any given night that the Santa House is open. The Festival of Lights will be open every night through New Year’s Eve from 5:30-9 p.m.