The Most Exciting Light Show South of the North Pole Returns to the Lone Star State

LINK FOR HIGH RES PHOTOS

 Texans are in for a dazzling holiday treat as The Light Park officially opens in six Texas markets across the state  offering families and friends an unforgettable holiday experience. Opening in Round Rock, Arlington, Frisco, Katy, Selma, and Spring, this spectacular drive-thru light show synchronized to holiday music promises a magical journey through millions of twinkling lights, just in time to kick off the holiday season.

The Light Park has gained popularity for its immersive holiday light displays, allowing visitors to enjoy the festivities from the comfort of their vehicles. This year’s event brings new features, more lights, and synchronized music to create a memorable and safe experience for people of all ages. The Light Park has been heralded as “one of the coolest ways to brighten your holiday season”, where guests witness millions of lights synchronized to an electric mix of music powered by DJ Polar Ice from the North Pole’s #1 Hit Radio station, K-GLO.

The Light Park’s Matt Johnson shares, “We are excited to bring even more holiday magic to Texas this year. Our goal is to provide families with a fun, safe, and joyful experience as they kick off their holiday season. With six locations across the state, we’re thrilled to spread the light and joy of the holidays.”

Those interested in learning more or purchasing admission can visit www.thelightpark.com. Tickets must be pre-purchased , and admission cost varies per showtime from $29-$49 according to the calendar that can be found online at www.thelightpark.com. Prices are per vehicle, not per person.  Visitors must stay in their vehicles the entire time while visiting the park and while on the park property. Guests are encouraged to bring their snacks to enjoy while in their cars, but there are wonderful ways to upgrade your experience with pre-purchased snacks and fun souvenirs to enhance the experience of The Light Park. 

*Please note no vehicles over 30 feet will be allowed in the park; this includes limousines, trailers and buses.

Event Details:

The Light Park has announced the opening of its dazzling holiday light displays at six Texas locations—Round Rock, Arlington, Frisco, Katy, Selma, and Spring—starting on November 1, 2024. “By opening a bit earlier in the season and adding a sixth location, we’re giving our guests more opportunities to join in the holiday spirit with us! Throughout the season, we see carloads of people returning because the experience is so visually captivating and full of energy,” says Matt Johnson, Co-Creator of The Light Park. “Our best advice to visitors is to plan early and get ready to be amazed by the brilliance of millions of spectacular lights in our drive-thru holiday park. While the lights go up, the prices stay down with early-bird pricing on pre-purchased tickets.”

Opens on November 1, 2024

Mondays - Thursdays: 5:30 - 10:00pm

Fridays - Sundays: 5:30 - 11:00pm

CHRISTMAS WEEK HOURS

Dec 18-25: 5:30-11pm

Where:

Frisco (runs through 1/5/25)

Riders Field

7300 Rough Riders Trail

Frisco, TX 75034

Arlington (runs through 1/5/25)

Hurricane Harbor Arlington

1800 E Lamar Blvd, Arlington, TX 76006

Katy (runs through 1/5/25)

Typhoon Texas Waterpark Parking Lot

555 Katy Fort Bend Rd

Katy, TX 77494

Round Rock (runs through 1/5/25)

Dell Diamond

Parking Lot

3400 E Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78665

San Antonio (runs through 1/1/25)

Retama Park Parking Lot

1 Retama Pkwy

Selma, TX 78154

Spring (runs through 1/1/25)

Hurricane Harbor Parking Lot

21300 Interstate 45 N

Spring, TX 77373

Prices: $29-$125

To Purchase Online: https://www.thelightpark.com/

About The Light Park

The Light Park offers six parks in Texas: Round Rock, Spring, Katy, Selma, Arlington and Frisco. Each Park features more than one million LED animated lights and boasts the world’s largest synchronized LED light tunnel. Opens November 1^st, 2024. Shows start at 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (weekdays), and 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (weekends and Christmas week); visitors can enjoy a safe and unique experience as they drive through the one-mile holiday light show curated to seasonal music.

Red Vending Machine Shines Light on an Easy Way to Give This Holiday Season

NORTH TEXAS -- Just in time for the holiday giving season, the Light the World Giving Machine returns to Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas, benefitting seven charities.

Dallas-Fort Worth is one of more than 100 cities worldwide to host Light the World Giving Machines in 2024.  Five local DFW charities will benefit:

Salvation Army North Texas, Catholic Charities Dallas, Lovepacs, 6 Stones and Agape and two global charities, including Lifting Hands International and UNICEF - USA.

 What is a Giving Machine? Red vending machines that allow users to donate items like clothing, baby supplies, medicine and even goats for people in need during the holidays.​ With a swipe of a card at the machines, items can be purchased ranging in price from $5 to $150 and include staples for charities. One hundred percent of all donations go directly to the participating charities. Sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Giving Machine is part of the Light the World holiday campaign, providing an instant act of service.

The Giving Machine will be in three locations throughout the metroplex from Nov. 22 – Jan. 1, 2025

• It will start in Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas, Nov. 22 – Dec. 5 at Napoli’s Italian Kitchen & Market (309 S Main St, Grapevine, TX 76051)
• Then, the Giving Machine will travel to make its debut in Frisco on Frisco Square from Dec. 7 – Dec. 18.
• It will make its final stop in Historic Downtown McKinney at Guava Tree  (104 S Chestnut St, McKinney, TX 75069) from Dec. 20 until Jan. 1, 2025.

“The Giving Machine is sponsored by our Church as a way to have an unforgettable giving experience with friends and families,” North Texas Area Authority Jonathan Cannon said for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "These moments help us feel the Savior's love for all of God's children.”

"I love the concept of the Giving Machines," Jen Leney, featured charity 6 Stones Executive Director, said.  "I love that you are teaching families charitable giving. There's a lot of need and as we collaborate together, we can transform whole communities.”

"The Giving Machine concept of spreading Light around the World is exactly what we do," Leney said. 

The Texas Giving Machine will also be in Austin, Houston and San Antonio.

Since the first Light the World Giving Machine launched in 2017, hundreds of thousands of people have generously contributed $32 million to assist those in need.

About Light the World Campaign

During the holiday season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites people everywhere to light the world by lifting and serving others in small and simple ways. One unique, fun, and memorable aspect of the Light the World initiative is the popular Giving Machines. These customized vending machines allow the public to donate necessary products and services to those in need worldwide.

More details on texasgivingmachine.org/dfw/

@TexasGivingMachine on Instagram and Facebook                                     

A Broken Reflection

by

Shelly M. Patel

A baffling series of murders are all connected to one couple.

A Broken Reflection by Shelly M. Patel is a dark and baffling tale of mystery and murder. When women connected to either Claire Bell or her husband, Stephen, become the victims of murder, the police take note and start asking very probing questions. Claire soon finds herself suspected of being a serial killer. 

Claire is the main character in this twisty tale of murder and deception and is as baffled as the police about who is killing women she has some connection to. She’s a mild and amazingly forgiving woman, especially considering her knowledge of her husband’s infidelities. However, she wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone another human being. But why is she missing great blocks of time from her life? And what’s going on then that she doesn’t remember? 

The plot moves quickly, using multiple points of view to reveal the story. The reader learns early on that Claire is being watched, but it could be any number of mysterious people. While she wavers back and forth about her husband’s cheating, the killer seems to take those matters in hand for her as each one of her rivals becomes a victim. The different narrators all have an axe to grind regarding Claire, and the descriptions of their relationships with her vary greatly – almost as if they are not dealing with the same person. 

The story is easy to read, but there were a few places that required re-reading to figure out what the author was trying to say, and there were a couple of awkward transitions between points of view that were confusing. Still, the story was interesting, entertaining, and short. 

I recommend A BROKEN REFLECTION to readers of psychological or domestic thrillers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia

by

Ettore Farrattini Pojani

A magical combination of historical fiction and fantasy as seen through the eyes of a cat.

The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia by Ettore Farrattini Pojani is a magical story, a combination of historical fiction, fantasy, and tales handed down through time by word of mouth. It is the inventively told history of the author’s ancestors and their hometown, re-imagined through the eyes and timely intervention of a cat as he is reincarnated down through the centuries. 

The cat first appears at the site of what will eventually become the town of Amelia, Italy, in 1134 B.C., and he aligns himself with the first member of the family, who names him Titolo or Tito for short. A beloved companion, he is a special and integral part of this early community. On his death, his spirit is blessed to remain among the people and to continue to protect the town, his former owner, and his progeny into the future. Each subsequent section of the book is the next time the spirit of Tito physically manifests, reincarnated to live one of his nine lives at a critical point in the family’s and town’s history. 

The storytelling is mesmerizing and easy to read, and it is impressive in how smooth and natural it sounds, considering it is a book in translation. I enjoyed the mix of the family story with the history of the time, the personal story with that of what was occurring in the world, and how the town was impacted. As a cat lover, I looked forward to seeing how Tito would fit into each time frame and what means of intervention he would be called upon to guide and protect the family. I was quickly invested in the magic of the tale and needed a tissue by the end of his first life, and that wasn’t my last. 

With its great mix of history and family saga, I recommend THE NINE LIVES OF TITO D’AMELIA to readers of historical fiction and cat lovers; however, there are infrequent mentions of adult activity and nudity that parents may want to consider when sharing with less mature readers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

Caught On Camera

Camera Club Mystery, #1

by

Kara Lacey

Small-town vibes, a close-knit family, and murder make this a perfect cozy mystery!

Caught On Camera is the first book in author Kara Lacey’s new Camera Club Mystery series, and it is a wonderful debut displaying all the hallmarks of what I love in a good cozy. With an engaging and relatable main character, a quaint, homey Vermont setting that had me considering travel plans, and a baffling murder, I was quickly invested and absorbed by the story. 

The book’s protagonist and soon-to-be amateur sleuth is Bobbie Brooks, a recent widow and transplant to the small town of Stonebridge, Vermont, from big-city Boston. Early on, we learn about the unexpected death of her husband and can almost feel her lingering grief and need for a change. Stonebridge has been home to her older sister, Alicia, since her marriage to a local attorney. Bobbie thought it would be a great place to start over and, hopefully, open her own photography business. Wanting to become more of a part of the community, she, along with Alicia and her friend, café owner Rose, formed a photography club. Their first photo outing as a club ends tragically when Bobbie discovers the body of one of their members at their chosen shoot location. The story makes an abrupt left turn when Bobbie goes from primary witness to primary suspect. 

Considering the lead detective’s attitude and arrogance, Bobbie can’t help but get involved in investigating to clear her name, and she’s good at it, noticing things at the crime scene that the police overlooked. Thankfully, she and her sister have a close and supportive relationship, and Alicia’s attorney husband, Nate, comes in very handy when the detective’s questioning goes from fact-finding to accusation. 

I appreciate it when the murder occurs early in a mystery, as oftentimes, too much exposition upfront gets really tedious really fast. Readers who feel the same way will not be disappointed here as the future victim is introduced within the first couple of pages and dispatched only a couple of pages later. She’s also a delightfully catty and unpleasant woman, although, of course, undeserving of being murdered. I enjoyed how the author developed the town and its residents as Bobbie works through her investigation. Each shopping stop or coffee break introduced a few more locals and laid out the town while Bobbie gathered clues or pieces of information needing to be checked out. 

While Bobbie, Alicia, and the remaining members of the Keep It Snappy Shutter Club developed a list, I had my own potential suspects as well. The exciting resolution is good, and armchair detectives will be able to pick out clues that lead to the truth. 

I recommend CAUGHT ON CAMERA to cozy mystery readers, especially those with a fondness for Vermont settings and labrador retrievers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.