Apparently not everyone was watching the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State Bedlam battle Saturday night.

About 160 cars full of visitors – and a number of people strolling through on foot – took advantage of the mild temperatures to attend opening night for the 2021 season of Kingfisher Winter Nights.

“Opening night fell on Bedlam Saturday, so our numbers were a bit down, but we were expecting that. Normally the first night draws around 300 cars,” KWN board member Ellen Wilfong said. “It was actually nice, though, for those who weren’t big OU/OSU fans, because they enjoyed short lines.”

Along with Wilfong, who handles marketing and social media, other KWN board members include: Chase Farrar, president; Terri Peck, vice president; Felicia Weber, secretary; Tim Abercrombie, treasurer, and Chris Cameron, Kristin Kelly and Krystal Turner.

Now in its fifth season as the successor to Kingfisher In Lights, the original organization that started the annual lighted Christmas displays in Kingfisher Park, KWN continues to build each year, Wilfong said.

New displays added this year include one sponsored by Kingfisher Tip-Off Club, commemorating the 2017, 2019 and 2021 boys’ basketball state championships.

Local metal craftsman Ora Yoder and his wife Sharon, two of the founders of the original Kingfisher In Lights and longtime volunteers over the course of more than a dozen seasons, sponsored another display.

“They have been big supporters of Kingfisher Winter Nights, so when he told us that he had created a motorized ferris wheel for us, we were excited,” Wilfong said. “He makes and sells them, but donated this one to KWN. It’s pretty neat.”

Local physician assistant Bridget Keast sponsored two other displays, one spelling “Hope” and the other a breast cancer ribbon, to promote breast cancer awareness.

“Then we have old displays that have undergone maintenance and have new life,” Wilfong said. “The Kingfisher Fire Department has completely redone their animated display of a fireman putting out a flame. It is so much brighter now.”

Dennis and Tammy Mueggenborg have returned their “Joy to the World” display in honor of Vernon Mueggenborg, after it sat out a year for maintenance and installation of new lights.

“Dennis and Tammy store and maintain their own displays,” Abercrombie said. “They actually sponsor three and they are highlights of the park for many people.”

“We honestly have our hands full with what we have going on here at the park. Our board is small, but we really work well together. God has provided all of these different skills and abilities in this group as different parts of the puzzle.”

Volunteers – both longtime and newer recruits – are also key to the success of the event.

Crews from the city of Kingfisher and Cimarron Electric Cooperative, which sent six manned trucks of different sizes to help string lights, are mainstays.

“It’s nice to have the support and volunteer mentality that Cimarron Electric demonstrates. Because many of these guys have come out here for several years, they are very efficient in completing the tasks that we really need help with, and can do so, without supervision from us.

“It’s also nice to spend a little time with them because you can tell they enjoy doing it, that they get along well, and they just make it fun.”

Some new volunteers this year include members of a youth group from Piedmont, who had been driving through the park every season but never realized the event was a total volunteer effort.

“Some students saw a Facebook post I made asking for volunteers and went to their church leadership and said they wanted to be a part of it,” Wilfong said. “So they loaded up their bus and came out and really made a difference. They helped us get over a hump.”

Another father and son saw members of their church out working in the park and stopped to see if they could help.

“That kind of stuff is really encouraging,” Wilfong said.

Kingfisher Winter Nights is open at 6 p.m. nightly through Dec. 26. The park closes at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

In addition to a daily scavenger hunt with prizes, Santa will be on hand Dec. 11 and 18 and children’s crafts and other tent events are planned Dec. 10 and 11.