“On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…” plays the soundtrack to the legendary train ride around Northside Park in Ocean City — better known as “Winterfest of Lights.”
Having lived in the area for 25 years now and never having gone to Winterfest, I finally went this year to see it for myself, with my 2-year-old daughter in town.
“Five golden rings… four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves…”
After you pay your $4 (for people 12 and over) you go into the heated train “station” where they have Santa’s house, a gift shop full of Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius and the Island of Misfit Toys paraphernalia, and a snack bar with hot chocolate and various treats.
A crisp, clear December Thursday night around 8:30 is a great time to go because we didn’t wait at all and got right on one of the trains.
It really is something to see. There is 12 minutes of spectacular light displays illuminating everything from a pink elephant, to a moon and stars, all the various characters in the “Twelve Days” song, (maids a milking, geese a laying, pipers piping, etc.) a pelican eating a fish, to various fishermen, a guy on a rope swing and a shark, to lit up Christmas trees, stars, candy canes — anything at all you can imagine for a Christmas in Ocean City on the water.
You are constantly turning your head each way to make sure you catch it all — which really is impossible.
“Where’s the froggy? Did I see the froggy?” says my daughter, because there is so much to see you just know you are missing something.
“Nine ladies dancing, eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, fiiiive golden rings…”
There something for everyone. There were young couples on dates, families, groups of friends — people of all walks of life.
Of course there’s a “Happy Birthday Jesus” display and a “God Bless America.” And you get the added bonus of seeing everything backwards, as well, because of the way they train turns on the loop. It’s really too much to catch the first time around — it’s definitely something you should do again right away to see what you missed — and then something of which to make a tradition.
If you haven’t been yet this year, Winterfest runs through Jan. 1, 2008, at Northside Park 127th Street and the Bay; Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Look for it next year starting in the middle of November.