Light entertainment: Crowds descend on Allerton Park

MONTICELLO — Area residents took advantage of decent (for December) weather and the holiday season to head out to Allerton Park during the weekend for its Holiday Market/Holiday Glow event.

Nearly 5,000 people showed up Friday through Sunday to take in the atmosphere.

“It was a nice turnout,” said Allerton Executive Director Derek Peterson, who estimated about 2,700 people showed up on Saturday alone. “We ran out of parking spots. It was a little bit of a turnaround trying to find parking spots for everybody.”

He estimated about 1,000 people showed up Friday night and about 1,200 Sunday evening.

The park’s Holiday Glow, a mile-long lit event, is the most popular draw this time of year.

The walk includes illuminated art pieces and lights of all types through the formal gardens and a recently opened Wandering Woods Trail.

The first phase of the Wandering Woods was opened in the fall and includes the park’s first fully accessible woodland trail.

It extends from the main parking lot to the Fu Dog Garden.

It makes traversing part of Allerton Park more accommodating for those who have mobility issues. Individuals in a stroller, wheelchair or just walking can access the area more easily.

The area will be expanded in future years.

The weekend also included a Holiday Market inside the Allerton mansion.

“We had a small vendor market (inside), so lot of people got to see the inside of the mansion,” Peterson said. “I heard a lot of people say this is their first time seeing inside the mansion,” which is generally not open to the public.

Allerton’s Holiday Glow will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Dec. 31. The cost is $10 per vehicle.