Mascot to sponsor 4th annual ‘Battle of the Bulbs’
The Minneota Mascot will be hosting its 4th annual" Battle of the Bulbs" holiday lighting contest and is hoping this year will be bigger and better than all previous years.
This contest is not just about winning, though. The Mascot started this four years ago with the purpose of bringing a little cheer to the local communities during the COVID pandemic. People were so limited as to where they could go and what they could do, so we felt this would give them a chance to spend time as a family by driving around and admiring the various light displays. It turned out to be such a success that we have continued to hold it ever since.
Don't feel you have to go "all out" in order to register for this contest. A small number of lights still show your holiday spirit and helps light up the town. Plus, by registering, you are eligible for random drawings for turkey or hams.
Registration deadline is Monday, Dec. 11. Judging will be held Friday, Dec. 15 and Saturday, Dec. 16. Winners will be notified on Monday, Dec. 18. See advertisement on this page for more details.
There would be no contest, however, if not for the extreme generosity of businesses and individuals, who have donated gifts and cash for prizewinners.
This contest is arguably one of the biggest in terms of prize-winning amounts anywhere in this region. In the past, the winner has received $500 worth of prizes, second place received $250 worth of prizes, third place $100 in prizes, fourth place $75 in prizes, and fifth place $50 in prizes. The number of participants winning prizes is determined by the number of prizes donated each year.
Because of the many donations last year, we were able to award four turkeys and hams via random drawings in addition to five place-winners. After the prize winners are chosen, we then place the names of all the others who registered for the contest into a hat and draw out names for the turkeys or hams. That way, people who may not be able to display a lot of lights can still enter the contest with a chance to win a nice prize.
We are hoping to have 10 or more judges again for the contest. If you would like to be a judge or donate a prize, please contact me at 320-894-6007 or scott@thomabooks.com.
Any monetary donations received will be used to purchase gift items for the winners. All gifts we purchase with monetary donations are purchased locally to help small businesses, including turkeys and hams.
We have always included the communities of Minneota, Ghent and Taunton in the contest and are doing that again. Businesses and individuals in each of those communities have donated prizes in the past.