HOPES for a jolly Loxton Christmas are still alive, with the hugely-popular Christmas Wonderland on route to go ahead this year despite coronavirus concerns.
Christmas Wonderland’s Peter Mangelsdorf said plans for his annual 250m display were still full steam ahead for the last Saturday in November, and should stay that way given it is not an interactive event.
“Everything else is as planned because people don’t come onto my place or other people’s places here – they just walk or drive past,” he said.
“I might need to put some signs up to do with social distancing to remind people.
“But I think people will be looking forward to something when it comes to Christmas time with everything else that’s been cancelled.”
Ground work preparation for the November date has begun, but nothing is set in stone yet.
Mr Mangelsdorf said he had been thinking about what he should or should not do at this time, but ultimately, believed that anything would be better than nothing at all.
“I think about it all year, and put my heart and my mind to it to decide what I’m going to do with what I’ve got really,” he said.
“I’ve got enough things and that I’ve bought over the years I haven’t even used.
“There’s always something different because I collect things all the time or get given things for the possibility of using, (but) I’m not planning on anything huge or major this year.
“That’s good enough anyhow I know because people rave about it still, so whether I change it or not it doesn’t matter.”
Mr Mangelsdorf said with everything that had occurred this year, Christmas would be an important time for local residents, and he hoped he could deliver some much-needed Christmas cheer with his display come November.
“It’s really important this year to give some positive vibes to people – that we can give them joy at Christmas time anyhow,” he said.
“Even if everything else is cancelled, like all the Christmas pageants and big events, it can be something people can still go see and get a lot of enjoyment out of.”