WAPAKONETA – For 10 years now, the Armstrong Air & Space Museum has been inaugurating the holiday season in Wapakoneta with their Holiday Lights Display, a vast array of festive and colorful lights that illuminate the museum grounds. This unique and free exhibition contains a variety of aviation and space-themed displays made from tens of thousands of vibrant LED bulbs.

The 2021 display officially flipped on Friday, Nov. 26, during the museum’s “Grand Illumination” celebration. Throughout the holiday season, lights will be turned on each afternoon at dusk for guests to enjoy until Jan. 2.

“Our organization has always made it a priority to give back to the community,” says Armstrong Facilities Manager and Light Display Creative Lead Scott Walton. “For a lot of individuals and families, it has become a fun holiday tradition to come out to the museum and enjoy the lights. We take great joy in creating these magical moments and special memories for visitors.”

Prominent works in the exhibition include a 20-foot-tall Saturn V rocket, a fully lit lunar module, and a giant Apollo-era astronaut saluting the American flag. Several new displays to look out for this year include a Mercury-Redstone rocket lifting off, a full solar system of planets, and an STS-70 patch, the only “all-Ohio” NASA mission.

For the first time, the light display is part of the Ohio Holiday Lights Trail, a compilation of the state’s most impressive light displays curated by Ohio. Find It Here., the state’s tourism division. This year’s holiday lights trail features 43 locations across Ohio, the largest trail since its inception five years ago.

Donations will be accepted on-site and online via the donation tab on the Armstrong Museum website. Visitors are encouraged to sign the holiday light guestbook, located in the front entrance of the museum. For more information, visit the Armstrong museum website or follow the Armstrong Museum Holiday Lights Display on Facebook.