Lights before Christmas

ROV October 9, 2003 - Josh Cedoz hangs lights in a tree near the Broadway entrance of the Toledo Zoo in preparation for the Lights Before Christmas display which opens November 14. Blade photo by Dave Zapotosky ZAPOTOSKY / BLADE Enlarge

Josh Cedoz dresses up the Toledo Zoo near its Broadway entrance in preparation for the annual Lights Before Christmas display that starts tomorrow between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. with the lighting of the 8-foot Norway spruce near the zoo s Broadway entrance. The display runs through Dec. 31. With more than 1 million lights, 200 lit images, and a new crew every year, decking the zoo for the holidays requires the organizational skills of a military strategist. The venture has been a hit since 1986 when the zoo purchased 50,000 lights. Each year, zoo employees brainstorm about possible images.