Military Families to be Honored Tonight at NECA Holiday Lights in the Park

Saint Paul, MN (December 2, 2014) – Military families are invited to visit NECA Holiday Lights in the Park free of charge tonight, as organizers honor those who have served our country.

This year's event, organized by the National Electrical Contractors Association of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Police Foundation, continues for a second year the Holiday Lights tradition of hosting a salute to the troops.

“We are proud to offer entrance to our holiday event for free to veterans and their families,” said Kate Kelly, executive director of the Saint Paul Police Foundation. “We can never completely repay them for their service, but we want to show them how much we appreciate their sacrifice.”

Holiday Lights, held at St. Paul's Phalen Park, will illuminate the park nightly through New Year's Day. Visitors can experience a program of more than 60 larger-than-life holiday light sculptures and animated displays from the comfort of their vehicles as they cruise through the park in the evening hours. The display includes a special salute to the troops section, in tribute to military service members past and present.

All military families that arrive with a valid military ID at the park entrance will be allowed to explore the dozens of holiday light displays at no charge.

This year's Holiday Lights in the Park will host several different theme nights, including military night, which will offer visitors special discounts. Theme nights include:

Tonight, Tuesday, December 2– Military Night: Active military members and veterans get a free admission with a Military ID shown at the gate.

Wednesday, December 3, and Saturday, December 20, – Minnesota Wild Nights: All visitors with a ticket stub or proof of attendance via the Wild’s seat locator app from the above 6 p.m. start Minnesota Wild games will receive a $5 discount on their Holiday Lights in the Park admission for any night the park is open.

Wednesday, December 17 – Winter Carnival Night: Any vehicle with a Winter Carnival Button is eligible for a $5 discount on admission on this night only.

Sunday, December 21 – St Paul Police and Families Appreciation Night: All active or retired SPPD will get free admission with a valid badge or ID.

Tuesday, December 30 – Light up Lake Phalen Neighborhood Night: Contest winners will be announced and prizes presented.

The holiday event was created to raise funds for local non-profit organizations, and for its seven year run it has donated its proceeds to groups including Second Harvest Heartland, Union Gospel Mission, Saint Paul Parks Conservancy, and the Saint Paul Police Foundation. To date, the holiday event has raised over $336,000 for charity.

About Holiday Lights:

Holiday Lights in the Park is a joint venture of the St. Paul Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the St. Paul Police Foundation with the sole purpose of creating fun and affordable holiday events that raise funds to help meet basic life needs for children and adults in the Twin Cities metro area. All of the net proceeds of the event will be distributed to Union Gospel Mission, the Saint Paul Police Foundation, and the Saint Paul Parks Conservancy. To date, Holiday Lights in the Park has raised more than $336,000 to support local non-profit organizations that support the residents of the Twin Cities. Holiday Lights in the Park is open nightly from November 25 - January 1, 2015 at St. Paul’s Phalen Park. For the cost of $10 per vehicle, visitors will experience a program of more than 60 larger-than-life holiday light sculptures and animated displays from the comfort of their vehicles as they cruise through the park in the evening hours. To purchase tickets you can visit our website: http://www.saintpaulpolicefoundation.com/, or for more information you can find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stpaulpolicefoundation or follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StPaulPoliceFdn