Christmas City Walkway of Lights
Marion, Indiana, home to nearly 33,000 people, is
called "Christmas City, U.S.A." Long known as the
International Walkway of Lights, the new name, Christmas City Walkway of
Lights, reflects Marion's well-deserved and decades-old nickname,
Christmas City U.S.A. In the mid 1960's, Marion's festive
holiday celebration with lights and decorations strung throughout downtown
and a splashy parade captured the attention of an Indianapolis TV station
as various cities in central Indiana were being scouted for a holiday TV
special. In December 1965, when the half-hour program entitled
Christmas City: Marion, Indiana aired, Marion immediately adopted
Christmas City U.S.A. as a nickname. Mr. Richard Erlewine who
was president of General Plastics, a company which produces decorations
like you will see along the Walkway of Lights, had the "Christmas City,
U.S.A." logo copyrighted for the City of Marion.
For years, most of the decorations surrounded the
courthouse square. But with the new Mississinewa Riverwalk, which
was completed in 1990 as part of the Build Indiana Project, there was
potential to take the holiday magic even further. In 1991, Mayor Ron
Mowery, Mark Erlewine, and a group of interested citizens decided to make
Marion live up to its name. By combining the Mississinewa Riverwalk,
the 2.25 mile walkway which is used year around for jogging, walking and
more, and holiday lights and lighted displays, the Christmas City Walkway
of Lights was established in 1992. The first year, the walkway was
home to nearly 56,000 lights and lighted displays; this year, the
walkway boasts over 2,000,000 lights and is nearly 4 miles long.
Information: 1-800-662-9474 
