You and your date are enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with cookies
in a chilly outdoor wonderland when she compliments you on your new favorite
wool blanket shirt she bought just hours earlier for you from Duluth Pack, one
of the many tasteful local shops. You notice another family is getting pictures
taken with Ole Kris Kringle before heading back to Pier B Resort, a nearby and
new addition to the area which is decked to the halls which will lead them to their
beautiful and comfortable room overlooking this winter paradise. You hear kids laughing
and singing while holding hands with parents, siblings and grandparents as they
walk under an arched “tunnel” which covers them and the snow covered path in
dancing lights.
This mystical and magical little town appears and lasts for only a
couple of weeks every year and then vanishes to hopefully reappear the next
year; but only if the children are good and make the “nice” list. You realize
finally that you are in a very special little “town” nestled within the city
limits of Duluth Minnesota but it’s more, it’s magic; it’s Bentleyville.
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If you are a native of the zenith city, you’ll know that
Bentleyville was brought to Duluth in 2009 from Cloquet Minnesota, which is
just a few miles south on the main drag (Highway 35W). But many may not know of
it’s very humble beginnings in Esko Minnesota way back in 2001 when it was
created by Nathan Bentley; who some just considered an overenthusiastic fan of
the holiday season. Locals would drive their visiting relatives by the place, and
exclaim “this is the house with all the lights on it”. Nathan continued to add
more stuff over time and then opened it to the public in 2003 as a “walk
through” experience and even Santa visited on the weekends!
This really is one of those “crazy” things which start out small and
people love it so much that well, according to history (holiday folklore?) it
attracted more “lookers” and got bigger and bigger to the point that Nathan
Bentley hired nine buses to transport people from a parking area to the
entrance of his place. What would come to be known as “Bentleyville” offered a
huge lit castle entrance, beautiful colored holiday scenes created from lights,
entertainment and eventually regular visits by Santa, and those nine busses bringing
in over 30,000 spectators every year. Long Christmas carol short, in 2008 Mayor
Ness of Duluth called Mr. Bentley and said, “Duluth Minnesota is the place ‘ya
otta be, so they loaded up the truck and moved to… sorry, I couldn’t resist,
but it happened something just like that with the entire holiday roundup including
the entrance castle, cookie house, popcorn building and all the fire pits coming
to Bayfront Park which is located just off the historic and beautiful downtown
Duluth city.
As a resident of the Twin Ports (I live in Superior, Wisconsin which
is just across either of two bridges) I have a personal connection. No, I’m not
one of the board of directors or the 600 volunteers who make this free event possible, but like you
(or I hope like you’ll be) I am
someone who visits this yearly color kingdom of lights that comes alive between
Thanksgiving and Christmas. I enjoy the experience through the eyes of my
grand-kids. They visit their Grandpa T and we eat popcorn together as we walk
under the archway and stop at times to see the “12 Days of Christmas, the
Nativity Scene, dinosaurs (who knew that dinosaurs like Christmas lights?) We
do a group hug at the “world’s largest tallest, lighted” Christmas tree and
then stop at the ice rink warming shack which doubles as a souvenir store at
this time.
When you visit, you’ll recognize the tall colored castle entrance that
invites you to walk its archway of lights to the world’s highest Christmas tree
where you can do your group hug or start your own tradition. I promise you’ll
see such a huge number of dancing and sparkly lights so numerous that even the
smartest fifth grader could never count them and they are outnumbered only by
the smiles on the faces of the over 265,000 yearly visitors; kids young and
old.
If you haven’t been “enlightened” by any of the thousands who have
already visited Bentleyville, let me be the first to invite you to “our magical
shore” this next holiday season. Write it on your calendar and make plans. Come
with your family, a group of friends or make it a business event! Whatever your
reason, enjoy Bentleyville and for just a while, live in our greeting card world;
walk the streets, shop the shops, and enjoy the dining and northern hospitality
of the Christmas City of the North.
This guy is “giving away the farm” in online tools! $10 gets all!
Twin Ports Businesses are creating Merchant Loyalty Communities to attract customers and offer excellent customer service. Find more here.
Twin Ports Businesses are creating Merchant Loyalty Communities to attract customers and offer excellent customer service. Find more here.
Bentleyville: http://www.bentleyvilleusa.org/
Duluth Chamber: https://duluthchamber.com/
About Duluth MN: http://www.visitduluth.com/
DATES AND TIMES (2016 SEASON): Nov. 19th thru Dec. 26.
Terry (Ter) Scott is a travel writer and writes regularly in over
100 blogs. You can contact Ter at: www.terscott.com/contact.
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