The West End Festival of Lights is back for its second year at the fairgrounds in Gilbert.

“This is my passion 100%. I love to see the lights lit and the kids’ faces when they see the displays,” said Todd Merkel, creator of the event.

He and his girlfriend, Jackie Gruber, were at the fairgrounds every day since early November hanging strands of lights, running extension cords from power source to decorations, and setting up metal frame reindeer, snowmen, the Grinch, snowflakes, trees and stalks of corn that light up.

“We ran into a week of cold, windy weather. The weather is always our greatest challenge when setting up,” he said.

It opened Black Friday and runs until Dec. 23. The festival is open 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.

Santa Claus is coming to visit the festival and greet the children on tonight and Saturday and Dec. 16, 17, and 23.

Horse and buggy rides will be offered Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 8 p.m. for a small fee.

For years, Merkel had created an elaborate Christmas lights display known as Stoney Ridge Lights at his home on Mauch Chunk Road in Palmerton.

He wanted a bigger location, and he wanted more decorations to display. He brought his love of lights to the West End last year.

In 2021, there were more than 100,000 LED lights. This year, he says there’s probably a quarter million LED lights on about 4½ acres. It is all sequenced to music.

“It’s a complex process that I work on all year. I program the lights to the music,” he said.

There are nine mega trees and the lighted walk-through tunnel doubled in size this year. It is now 100-feet long.

Strings of multicolored lights are around the perimeter of the walkways. Behind them are various scenes, including the Nativity scene with Mary and Joseph and the animals; the Grinch, his dog Max, and Cindy Lou Who; cows in front of stalks of corn that light up and appear to be dancing; a large blue lake of lights on the grass with fishermen holding poles and a fish dangling from a line; gingerbread men and gingerbread house; penguins, igloo and polar bears; and Santa and his reindeer.

“These are all custom-made. Some were made for me, and others I made,” Merkel said.

The festival has three food vendors next to one another. They face a few tables

and several fire pits, where guests can sit to enjoy their refreshments.

They offer grilled cheese, soups, hamburgers, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, deep fried Oreos, cotton candy, funnel cake, caramel apples, popcorn, beverages and hot cocoa.

Near the food vendors, Diane Brong has set up is an indoor model train Christmas display.

“Forty Christmas trees have been adopted and decorated by organizations or individuals, and are in honor or memory of someone,” Merkel said.

Ross Township Historical Society, Keystone Consulting Engineers, and the West End Fair are a few of the organizations that have adopted trees.

They are located at the end of the midway, near the building that holds the flower exhibits during fair week in August.

Last year, there were only 20 trees. However, there was a demand for more.

About 15 craft and merchandise vendors are located throughout the festival in the buildings

Felicia Coman, Rebecca Robtoy and Lori Robinson are sharing the St. Matthew’s Church food stand to represent their businesses and sell their products.

“I think this is a great, inexpensive family event. Guests can come here for hours to walk around and get into the holiday spirit,” said Robinson, who owns Balloons by Robinson and Crafty Robinson.

Robtoy was part of last year’s festival.

“I love that this is a walk-through display and that it’s bigger than last year,” she said.