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

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.