Nonprofit Colorado Youth Outdoors’ Winter Wonderland Goes Green  

NoCo Winter Wonderland drive-through display with 500,000 lights opened November 28

Each holiday season, Colorado Youth Outdoors (CYO) presents NoCo Winter Wonderland drive-through display. 

But this year, instead of filling up noisy generators nightly with 30 gallons of gasoline (approximately 750 gallons over the 25-night run), CYO will go gasoline-free. That’s because area businesses teamed up to convert CYO’s magical one-mile-long route to quiet, environmentally friendly, all-electric power.   

The 15-minute tour features 19 light displays with 500,000 lights – that’s one million if you count the reflections off CYO’s 12 ponds. It runs from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., from November 28 through December 31, 2024, at 4927 County Road 36, near the intersection of Larimer County Road 5 and Kechter Road in Fort Collins.  Tickets are available from coloradoyo.org/events/ for $25 per vehicle. 

“Flipping a switch to run NoCo Winter Wonderland is a thrill! It’s a huge upgrade for Colorado Youth Outdoors,” explains CYO Northeast Executive Director Luke Brough. “But the impact of installing electricity goes beyond lighting one event. We’ve already begun running fountains in some of our ponds; the moving water helps fish health tremendously.”

The annual display, which raises operating funds for CYO, comes to life on the nonprofit’s 220-acre property. The infrastructure cost necessary to convert to electricity was approximately $200,000.  However, thanks to CYO’s partnerships, the generosity of area businesses, and over 100 volunteers who donated around 600 hours, CYO only paid $41,000 to make the switch.   

Luke added, “Volunteers make our annual 220-acre holiday display possible, and everyone at CYO – plus the families we serve – offers a heartfelt word of thanks and invites the public to experience the magic of NoCo Winter Wonderland.”   

To learn more about what was involved in CYO going green, read this: https://www.coloradoyo.org/news/colorado-youth-outdoors-winter-wonderland-goes-green/

About Colorado Youth Outdoors

Colorado Youth Outdoors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created in 2001. CYO’s mission is to build relationships and bring kids and parents closer through traditional outdoor recreation.  To help accomplish this, CYO integrates the words Participate, Appreciate, Communicate, and Dedicate into their recreation curriculum, which they call the PACD Model.  The nonprofit works to incorporate PACD into all activities, which include spin and fly fishing, archery, camping, shooting sports, and nature play.  coloradoyo.org