Clearbrook cancels 'Wonderland of Lights'

Clearbrook will not stage a Wonderland of Lights this year at Arlington Park because expenses outstripped ticket sales last year in what is supposed to be a fundraiser.

The 300 exhibits with an estimated 1 million lights cost $40,000 to set up, said Gloria Drake, vice president of communications and event planning for the agency that provides services for almost 3,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Last year 12,000 cars drove through the 1.6-mile animated exhibit, and that was the first time in four years that the event lost money, she said.

Arlington Park did not charge rent for the spectacle that ran from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, but one thing that pushed costs up was the price of diesel to operate the displays.

The first year of "Wonderland" was the best, with about 15,000 cars, said Drake. The event also required 300 volunteers willing to work in the cold.

Instead, this year Clearbrook will have one benefit performance of "A Christmas Carol" at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in downtown Arlington Heights, at 7 p.m. Dec. 22. Admission starts at $35 for adults and $20 for under 12. Buy tickets at clearbrook.org.

"We wanted to do another family event during the holidays," she said. "The show is much more affordable than going downtown to the Goodman."

The Wonderland had its good points, and raised a lot of awareness for Clearbrook.

It was "turning out to be a friend raiser," Drake said. "We were reaching so many people.

However, both unseasonably warm weather and storms hurt attendance in 2008.

The economy also really hurt last year, said Drake, even though the charge was only $10 per vehicle and discount coupons were available.

Still, Clearbrook marches on.

"We're always looking for something new," she said.