Every night from Friday until May, Muskoka Heritage Place (MHP) will be lit up with thousands of lights. Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce officials hope it’ll draw people to Huntsville in the off-season.
Eclipse Walk With Light is an interactive light and sound installation set up in MHP’s Pioneer Village, organized by the Chamber. With a price tag of more than $800,000, the installation doesn’t come cheap. However, Chamber Executive Director Kelly Haywood says the value outweighs the cost.
“It’s definitely a big initiative, it’s a costly one,” says Haywood. “But it’s meant to ignite our economy, particularly in the winter and sustain our job market, so that we can have seasonal employment.”
The walk begins and ends at the Rotary Village Station, looping through the village. Microphones arranged along the route pick up the sounds visitors make and alter the lights in response.
“I think that you can expect a cerebral experience if you want, or you can also just enjoy the sounds and lights and wander through a few times,” says Haywood. “Take your time and sit with each installation of lights.”
Although the grand opening is the evening of Friday November 5th, the display had a soft launch on Tuesday with invited guests. Haywood says organizers are already making tweaks based on their feedback, such as improving the ground lighting on some walking paths. She adds the installation will be used to host events throughout the year.
The display was originally meant to go up last year, but Haywood says the COVID-19 pandemic meant “it wasn’t the right thing to do” at the time. She adds that it worked out better this way, with the delay meaning more time, money, and focus could be put into the project.
Until there’s snow on the ground to help with visibility, Haywood recommends bringing a flashlight if you’re not comfortable finding your footing in the dark. Boots are also recommended as the site can get “quite muddy,” she says.
Snowshoes will be available during the winter, and Canvas Brewing Co. will be onsite to sell beverages on select days such as weekends.
The display opens after dusk every evening until May 7th, with tickets set at $5 for adults and free admission for those 12 and under.