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Reading’s Christmas on the Mountain opened after high winds delayed the original planned opening Nov. 28. (MICHELLE LYNCH – READING EAGLE)<\/p>\nThose eagerly awaiting the opening of Reading\u2019s Christmas on the Mountain had to hold their holiday excitement a bit longer this year.<\/p>\n
Opening night for the massive light display at Hillside Playground was postponed Friday after high winds damaged some of the decorations.<\/p>\n
The attraction on North 14th Street, one of the largest free holiday light displays in the nation, opened on Saturday instead.<\/p>\n
Tim Profit, president of the Savage Auto Group and longtime organizer of the event, said volunteers worked through Friday night into the wee hours of Saturday morning to get the park ready for the rescheduled opening.<\/p>\n
Those who braved the cold and wind Friday only to be turned away were understanding, said Sgt. Major Laureano Perez, who oversees the Reading High School Marine Corps JROTC unit that has built and operated the display for the last decade.<\/p>\n
A Reading tradition for 34 years, this year\u2019s setup is bigger and better than ever, Perez said.<\/p>\n
The corps transformed the park into a glowing winter wonderland filled with more than 5 million LED lights, inflatables, vintage decorations, modern scenes and costumed characters.<\/p>\n
Perez said this season brings four or five new displays, including redesigned scenes from the popular family movies \u201cHow the Grinch Stole Christmas\u201d and \u201cFrozen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year we try to improve it a little bit more,\u201d he said. \u201cThe kids set it all up, absolutely, start to finish. They run it, set it up, clean the park, operate it all the way to Dec. 23, and then help with the teardown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Preparations began Sept. 28 with a major park cleanup involving about 85 students, he said. Cadets began installing lights in mid-October and worked through the fall to prepare for the opening.<\/p>\n
Despite the excitement surrounding what organizers believe could be the event\u2019s biggest season yet, questions remain about the display\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
Profit announced this year that redevelopment of the Hillside Pool property could bring major changes to the display.<\/p>\n
\u201cLate this summer, we were informed by a city of Reading official that upcoming construction and renovations to the Hillside Pool would require us to revisit the size, scope and potentially the future of Christmas on the Mountain,\u201d Profit wrote in a public statement.<\/p>\n
Reading’s Christmas on the Mountain opened after high winds delayed the original planned opening Nov. 28. (MICHELLE LYNCH – READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
The city purchased the approximately 3-acre property in 2019 and plans to remove the long-closed pool and replace it with a modern splash pad, cabanas and other amenities. Construction on the $4 million mostly grant-funded project is expected to begin next year<\/a>.<\/p>\n The refurbished park will include an outdoor ice skating rink, Adrian Jadic, city community development project manager, told City Council at a meeting Monday.<\/p>\n The city selected Hillside Park after residents objected to building an ice rink outside the Third and Spruce streets recreation center or in City Park.<\/p>\n