By Alex Crozier

The Festival of Lights kicked off this Thanksgiving in Moorman and Wavering Parks, hosting a trail of Christmas lights and decorations for cars to drive by.

Festival president Eric Dooley has taken over a Quincy tradition for the first year since the Avenue of Lights event stopped a few years ago.

“I think our goal when we started was to create a new tradition. That’s one of the things that’s exciting to me and the entire group of volunteers that worked on it is to restore the family tradition that so many people had of going to the park to see the Christmas display,” Dooley said.

With the help of many volunteers, Dooley worked for months to organize and gather all of the displays. But the reception he has gotten from the community makes up for the hours put in.

“It’s working on something that is so meaningful to so many other people. People will stop by the park and they’ll give us cookies, or people will send us hand warmers in the mail when it gets cold, literally in the mail,” Dooley said. “I don’t think I have worked on a project, or probably ever will, that is so meaningful to so many other people.”

The money raised from the Festival of Lights goes back into the costs for next year’s event, which Dooley hopes to continue in the same park. Dooley’s goal with revitalizing the show is not a monetary one.

“I’m able to restore the family tradition. I’m able to take my kids through it and they can remember going through it years ago themselves,” Dooley said.

A trip through the lights costs 12$ per car and is open every night until New Years Eve from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information go to festivaloflights.org or call (855) 729-4536.