Gypsy Hill's Holiday Lights Are Built by Neighbors, and the Field of Deer Takes New Additions Through November 21

More than 20 years ago, a Staunton woman visited other cities that put on holiday light shows in their parks and asked why Staunton couldn't have one. She called a few people who loved the season. After many meetings and with the City Council's agreement, the Celebration of Holiday Lights Committee was formed. That woman was Thelma Newman, and the event she started returns to Gypsy Hill Park on Monday, November 23, for its 21st straight season.

Her idea still shows in how the event works. The city provides the park, and the displays come from local people. For anyone in Hillcrest, which sits a short distance from the park, the easiest way to add something of your own is the Field of Deer. Drop-off opens Saturday, November 14.

Every Display Carries a Name

The City of Staunton's event listing describes scenes "all created uniquely by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and churches from Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County and surrounding areas." Each display has to have a 2x3 sign naming the family, person, organization, business or church behind it. As you drive the loop, you are reading a list of who took part.

Taking part is real work. On the Celebration of Holiday Lights participation page, the committee says participants set up, staff and take care of their own displays. They bring their own lights and supplies, use weather-rated outdoor extension cords, and remove everything when the season ends. Every participant pays a $25 non-refundable entry fee. Power is available only in certain parts of the park, so spaces are assigned around it. The city's listing adds that "as we continue to grow, fewer spaces are available."

A full display takes a group with time, tools and a plan. The deer is the part a single household can do on a Saturday afternoon.

The Field of Deer Runs on Three Afternoons

Years after the first season, Newman came up with a second idea, a field where anyone could place a deer to honor or remember a loved one. Today the Display a Deer page invites deer placed for a loved one, a military veteran, a friend, or "just because."

Bringing a deer is free. The only cost is optional. For $10 you can buy a plaque for the Tribute Board, which stands along the fence near the May Field bleachers, and you can reuse the plaque in later years.

That gives you six hours over three afternoons, and the last window closes two days before the lights come on. The application covers drop-off and pick-up details and the exterior extension cord requirement, and the forms are on the application forms page. Boy Scout Troop 33 sponsors the Field of Deer again this year, and Scoutmaster Scott Eaton handles questions at [email protected].

The Park Changes Hands at 5 p.m.

For most of the year, Gypsy Hill Park belongs to people on foot. The city describes Constitution Drive, the 1.3-mile loop through the middle of the 214-acre park, as a designated play street for walking, jogging, cycling and rollerblading. The park is open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Starting November 23, the evening hours look different. The lights are on every night from 5 to 11 p.m. through January 1, 2027, and entry is free. The city expects the displays to be seen by "over 32,000 vehicles traveling the park." The committee puts its usual count at more than 30,000 cars over the roughly five weeks the event runs. Spread over 40 nights from November 23 through January 1, that works out to about 800 cars a night on a loop that is usually full of strollers and joggers.

The daytime park changes too. The rules say inflatables must be deflated when the lights are off, so a morning walk in early December passes snowmen and characters lying flat on the grass, waiting for evening. The park closes to the public at 11 p.m., and the committee provides no security for the displays.

Two Monday Nights Start the Season

The lights always open on the Monday before Thanksgiving, which this year is November 23. A week later, on Monday, November 30, the Staunton Christmas Parade steps off downtown at 7 p.m. This year's theme is "Winter Magic."

On parade night, the route from the park to downtown is affected. The Staunton Downtown Development Association's parade page says streets close at 5 p.m., the same time the park lights come on. The closures are:

• Augusta St. from Churchville Ave. to Johnson St.
• Frederick St. from Central Ave. to Market St.
• Market St. from the Frederick St. intersection to Beverley St.
• New St., Lewis St. and Central Ave., each from Frederick St. to Johnson St.
• Beverley St. from Market St. to Jefferson St.

Public restrooms are at the Staunton Police Department, 116 W. Beverley St. ADA parking at City National Bank is first come, first served. You can also stream the parade through Lingo Networks.

The park itself is at 600 Churchville Ave., where Churchville Avenue meets Thornrose Avenue. The lights run every night through January 1, so on parade night the downtown streets can come first, and the loop can wait for another evening.

Volunteers Keep It Going

Newman died on May 6, 2025, at age 85. Her News Leader obituary named her as the founder of the Celebration of Holiday Lights. It also listed her among the co-founders of the African American Heritage Festival and noted that she was a past president of the local NAACP. The committee's tribute page says her legacy lives on as it carries the event forward. The committee page still lists her as Chairman Emeritus.

The committee is all volunteers. Nina Herron is chair, Angel Cooper handles administration and awards, Alice Woods is the City Council liaison, and Thomas Harrison represents Parks and Recreation. Dr. and Mrs. Scott Eaton and local Boy Scout and Cub Pack groups run the Field of Deer. Membership is open anytime, and meetings are usually at 5:30 p.m. at the Irene Givens Building at Montgomery Hall Park, with dates published in the Staunton News Leader.

Other traditions have grown up around the event. WHSV reported that Henry Funeral Home and Cremation Center held its 6th annual Drive-Thru Santa Sighting on December 23, 2025. Families drove the whole park, then took pictures with Santa at the end of the route and got free candy canes. The event began during the pandemic with Santa on the park bandstand. WHSV quoted owner Mark Clarke calling it "just a way to continue connecting at a different level."

If you want to bring a deer this year, you have three afternoons at May Field, starting Saturday, November 14, from 1 to 3 p.m., and you pick it up on January 2.

The team at Nest Realty - Shenandoah Valley lives and works around Staunton's parks, and we follow events like the Celebration of Holiday Lights because they are part of what makes a neighborhood home. If you're thinking about a move this winter, we'd be glad to talk it through, and maybe drive the loop together some evening.