Ivoryton Village will get a little bit brighter this weekend with the 13th annual Ivoryton Illuminations on Saturday, Dec. 3.

A total of 500,000 lights have been collected and configured around the Village by Ivoryton Village Alliance to shine during the final month of the year in celebration of the holiday season. According to Alliance President Chris Shane, it takes around 500 hours to set up and take down the lighting rigs that will spread around the Village.

Shane credits the leadership of Allison Harp, for making this year’s Illuminations possible. Harp is involved with both Essex Elementary School and Valley Regional High School (VRHS), including the latter’s Interact Club, which is affiliated with the active Essex Rotary Club.

“I can’t say enough great things about them. My only criticism of the Interact Club is that no one knows how great they are and all the good stuff they do,” said Shane.

The magic behind the annual Illuminations is a computer-run system, that synchronizes the lights to Christmas music playing from the radio station 101.5 FM. With lights wrapped around trees on the Town Green, the synced lights and holiday music animate the “dancing trees.”

“You actually can hear the music that the lights are dancing to. It’s quite spectacular,” Shane said. “What tends to happen is the parents bring the kids down, they get out of the car, they run around the Green and through the trees, and they see all the lights dancing. Then they go back in the car, the parents turn on the music, and they realize that ‘Wow, there’s some message to this madness.'”

According to Shane, the event has been very popular among children in the community since its first occurrence.

“The model from the beginning was that it’s all about the kids,” he said. “We think it’s really important to give back to the community. Especially as we know what we’ve all been through. This is the first time we’ve done it physically since 2019. It will be really interesting to see how many people show up.”

The Essex Fire Department will also be participating during the night as the town group that will light the Christmas tree on the Green. The Department’s house will host fundraisers for the Booster Clubs for sports teams at VRHS.

During the first night of Illuminations, Santa Claus will visit the Ivoryton Playhouse for photographs. Each child will also receive a gift after sitting for a picture.

The Dec. 3 event also features carol singing and an “Elf Scavenger Hunt,” a highlight of the event that was popular when introduced in 2019. As part of the hunt, 10 elves are hidden around the Village and children will receive clues to find them.

“If they find the elf, they have a passport which gets stamped. Once they’ve found all 10, they go to the Ivoryton Inn where they get a present,” said Shane.

The Essex Police Department will also participate in the first night of the Illuminations. The Department brings its Stuff-a-Cruiser food donation event, collecting non-perishable food items and foods for pets for the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries. The event was formerly held in the parking lot of the now-closed Colonial Market grocery store in Centerbrook but has been brought back as part of the event.

The first night of the Illuminations will take place on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 5 to 8 p.m.. To alleviate parking struggles, the Police Department will offer a new shuttle service with three pick-up and drop-off spots at Privé Swiss Wellness, Gather Again, and at the bottom of Walnut Street and Main Street.

Various local businesses will be holding special events of their own, including those at Ivoryton Library and the Blue Hound Cookery and Taproom. Running throughout the month will be a production of the Winter Wonderettes at the Playhouse, which will run until Sunday, Dec. 18.