Weather cited as attendance at zoo's 'Lights' nears record

This winter 175,053 attended the Toledo Zoo's "Lights Before Christmas," including Jamie Hamilton, right, Pettisville, who is hugging Mike Altman, Hicksville, after accepting his marriage proposal. THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Snow would have made the holidays picture-perfect, but a lack of the white stuff and mild temperatures helped boost attendance to the Toledo Zoo's "Lights Before Christmas" display to near record levels.

This winter, 175,053 people attended the seasonal light show, not far from the record of 178,177 who attended in 2006. The display features more than 1 million lights and 200 lighted animal images. "We find when it's mild, people do come out," zoo spokesman Andi Norman said.

The zoo has extended this winter's light display -- which normally closes right after the holidays -- to Friday and Saturday because Christmas fell on a weekend and the display was closed. The display will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. each night. Admission is $11 for adults, $8 for seniors and children age 2 to 11, and free for those under 2.

"Lights Before Christmas" has drawn an average of 129,000 people through its 26 years. Last winter, 142,023 saw the display.

The spectacle garnered online attention this year, which also might have helped with attendance, Ms. Norman said. Travel Web site Travelocity.com, for example, listed the zoo's 85-foot Norway spruce adorned with 35,000 energy-saving LED lights among its favorite Christmas trees for 2011.

High attendance at the "Lights Before Christmas" was a boon to the zoo, because numbers overall were down last year after a rainy spring and a hot summer. The zoo had 864,386 visitors last year, down from 888,863 in 2010, Ms. Norman said.