COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — A display of community generosity unfolded Friday morning as crews gathered at the LMCU Ballpark to restore the annual Christmas Lite Show after an act of vandalism postponed its opening.
On Tuesday night, an unidentified man was caught on surveillance camera causing significant damage to some of the lights.
The Kent Count Sheriff’s Office believes the man used heavy-duty wire cutters, impacting at least hundreds of lights.
As of Friday morning, investigators are still working to identify the man responsible.
The incident happened just a day before the show's anticipated premiere, leaving founder Bill Schrader and his team heartbroken.
They were forced to push back their original opening day, now hoping to have everything up and running by 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30.
“All of our workers spent so much time putting this all together,” Schrader told FOX 17 on Wednesday. “Having something like this happen, it hurt all of us.”
Schrader launched the annual event in 1998 after returning to West Michigan following a military career.
Around 50,000 people now visit the Lite Show every holiday season.
The vandalism was a devastating setback for Schrader and his group of passionate volunteers.
However, West Michigan’s response has been nothing short of remarkable.
After hearing about the vandalism this week on FOX 17, the folks at DeVries Landscape knew they wanted to step up.
"We saw the news feed and were all a little upset with the vandalism," Joe Pellegrom of DeVries Landscape explained Friday. "We do this ourselves, and we know how hard it is. We just wanted to help."
As the first significant snow of the season fell on the LMCU Ballpark, impromptu crews organized to get everything back up to speed.
In addition to the helping hands from DeVries Landscape, numerous personal friends of Schrader showed up to help Friday.
“There's another 10 or 12 people here that are friends of mine,” Schrader said Friday. “They just stopped and said, ‘Hi, Bill. We want to help.’”
It was all in an effort to preserve the magical holiday memories made every year as families experience the Christmas Lite Show.
Schrader explains, “The dedication is just… it really tugs on your heartstrings, I tell ya.”
You can find tickets for this year's show at their website HERE.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the vandalism. If you have any information on who might be responsible, you are asked to call them at (616) 632-6100.
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