Woodland Hills Luminaria Program: 2020 Update From City of Batavia

Press release from the City of Batavia:

Posted on: December 23, 2020

For over 30 years the Woodland Hills Subdivision has partnered with the Batavia Lions Club to raise funds and spread holiday spirit with the Luminaria Program. For those who aren’t aware, a Luminaria is a Christmas lantern consisting of a bag, sand to weigh it down, and a candle. These are known as “festival lights” and are used to light the way to homes on Christmas Eve. While residents are welcome to drive by and see over 1,400 candlelights spread out curbside in Woodland Hills, the City recently spoke with Karen Hilty who has worked as the Luminaria Captain and volunteered to organize the fundraiser for the last 25 years. “The proceeds go into the Lions Club general fund and are used to serve the vision and hearing needs of those in the Batavia community. On a beautiful night, the candles can still be burning brightly at 5:30 AM,” she said.

To view this spectacular event, residents are encouraged to drive or walk through the Woodland Hills Subdivision after the lighting of the candles at 6:00 PM.

For those interested in starting this tradition in your neighborhood, please contact Ann Hills with the Lions Club at: AMHills60@gmail.com

For those who have questions or would like to participate in the Woodland Hills Subdivision event, contact: Karen Hilty at KLHilty@Aol.com

Note on the Process: The order forms are dropped off to the neighbors toward the end of November, returned to the Luminaria Captain by the beginning of December and the kits are then distributed to the neighbors. Though the Luminaria kits are distributed the beginning of December, supplies need to be ordered the beginning of August so an estimate of the number of supplies needs to be known by July 15th.

This press release was produced by the City of Batavia. The views expressed here are the author’s own.