Slideshow photos by Francisco Amaral and Noah Jewell
This year students at Rogers High School and Underwood Elementary School created sculptures for the event.
Underwood students created ice sculptures with Barney Webster of Nelumbo Water Gardens on the elementary school's campus. They individualized their disks with food coloring and items from nature such as leaves, acorns and sticks. Once the disks froze they were hung in trees at the park.
Almost four hundred people attended the free event which featured displays of luminaries, LED lights, strands of Christmas tree lights, spot lights, Chinese lanterns, tiki torches and gobo lights in unique displays like "Rainbow Forest", Chinatown, "Rock Stars", "Disco Pond" and "the Vortex".
The displays took several days to create. Lights and sculptures were hung in the trees by professional tree climbers from Bartlett Tree's, City of Newport arborist Charlie Ridolf and local landscaper Frank Amaral. On Saturday afternoon volunteers from Salve Regina University lined the back entry way and small grass island on Hazard Road with hundreds of luminaries (candles in paper bags) attracting passersby to the event.
The event was sponsored by National Grid, Stagecraft Sound & Lighting, Houlihan, Managhan & Kyle LLC, Bartlett Trees and Ballard Exploration Company.
2008 Sponsors
Houlihan, Managhan & Kyle LLC
NELUMBO WATER GARDENS: Barney Webster
CITY OF NEWPORT PARKS, RECREATION & TOURISM: Susan Cooper, Scott Wheeler, Bob Oakley & Charlie Ridolf
BARTLETT TREE EXPERTS: Christopher Fletcher, Sam & Jose
GARDEN CREW: Frank Amaral, Brgid Finn, Noah Jewell, Rita Del Rios, Mitchell Sullivan
NEWPORT TENT COMPANY
SALVE REGINA UNIVERSITY: Sarah Kelly & Community Service Volunteers
