New light show in Eau Claire for the holidays

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - For the first time, this year there will be a new light show in the Chippewa Valley just in time for the holidays.

Two light enthusiasts in Eau Claire are joining together to put on a new display hoping to spread the joy of Christmas at the Eau Claire Expo Grounds.

“Both me and Tim have been lighting residentially for the past 16 years and just have found that it’s time to actually step it up a little bit,” Brian Chaput, a co-creator of the Lights in the Valley, said.

“We decided after immense traffic and doing it at our homes for quite a while that we’d like to move to a bigger area,” Tim McManus, a co-creator of the Lights in the Valley, said.

So this year, the two decided to create the Lights in the Valley.

“We have a mile distance of drive through here,” McManus said. “The space is really great because of the darkness. It allows for the lights to really pop.”

From Candy Cane Lane to a tunnel of lights, the show aims to continue sharing a low of the holidays with the Chippewa Valley.

“It’s just the love of Christmas and everything about it,” Chaput said. “Hearing the joy in kids when you hear them singing in their cars and you hear from a family saying that you’re a part of our Christmas traditions.”

Ahead of the opening day, Chaput and McManus are putting the final touches on the display.

“The best part is when you plug it in and everything works. You plug it in, it turns on” McManus said. “There’s a lot of work before that point that you don’t see.”

But the two masterminds behind the Lights in the Valley are looking forward to the possibility of bringing new memories to the holidays.

“Just creating a new Christmas tradition for these families,” Chaput said.

The Lights in the Valley opens on Friday and goes until January 1. It’s from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. Tickets for the show are $20 per car. They have to be ordered ahead of time. You can buy tickets HERE.