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MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights to open Nov. 25

Kathy Floyd
19 November 2024
4 min read

The North Texas Christmas season will officially begin Monday, Nov. 25, when the beloved MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights illuminates the Hardin Administration Building lawn at Midwestern State University.

MSU Texas President Stacia Haynie will flip the switch just after 6 p.m., marking the 51st year the lights and displays have graced the campus at MSU Texas, continuing the tradition begun by Lillian and L.T. Burns in the 1920s.

Festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with MSU Texas carillonneur Jim Quashnock playing holiday music on the Redwine Carillon in the Hardin tower at 3410 Taft Blvd. Santa Claus is expected to make the trip from the North Pole for photos and will be available until 8 p.m.

Food trucks scheduled to be on hand include Fazmos, Kafe Maya, Kona Ice, Kimmie’s Korn, McKinney BBQ, and Tacos El Pueblo.

A new display of two nutcrackers brings the total number of scenes to 51. The nutcrackers were donated by the Rider High School Key Club. Other updates include adding MP3 players with amplifiers and weather-tight enclosures for Cinderella, Dickens’ Christmas Carol, the Little Engine That Could, the Nativity, Peter Pan, Santa’s workshop, the Skaters Table & Piano, the Three Little Pigs, and Sounds of the Season. Repairs were also made in the lion display and the Three Little Pigs. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers also held a work day on Nov. 9 to help with the electrical requirements of the displays.

After the opening ceremony, the displays will be turned on seven days a week from dusk to 10 p.m. through Thursday, Dec. 26. Displays will be turned on from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays for special events. For more information visit the Fantasy of Lights website or call 940-397-4352.

Admission to the Fantasy of Lights is free. Donations are welcome and needed to maintain the displays and keep the Fantasy of Lights a successful holiday tradition. Donations may be made using the special boxes stationed in the displays or online. Call 940-397-4352 for more information.

Fantasy of Light Concert

The MSU Texas Department of Music will present the Fantasy of Lights concert at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25, in Akin Auditorium. The concert is free to the public and will follow the lighting of the displays. Call 940-397-4267 for more information about the concert.

Fantasy of Lights 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run

The Fantasy of Lights 5K & 1-Mile Fun Run will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, beginning at the Hardin Lawn. Registration for the 5K is $25, and $15 for the 1-mile fun run. The first 100 contestants to register will receive a long-sleeved race T-shirt. A $25 gift card will be awarded to the fastest male and female 5K runners, the best-dressed holiday-themed male and female participants, and the worst-dressed holiday-themed male and female participants. All registration proceeds help support the MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights. Check-in and late registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with the race beginning at 10 a.m. Register online.

Santa’s Mailbox

Those special letters to Santa may be deposited in Santa’s Mailbox, which will be available from Nov. 25 to Dec. 16 on the Fantasy of Lights grounds near the Liberty Bell. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for Santa’s reply. Contact the City of Wichita Falls Parks and Recreation office at 940-761-7490 for more information.

Polar Bear Express Trolley

The Polar Bear Express WF trolley will run from 6-10 p.m. Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, through Wednesday, Dec. 25. Tickets are $10, cash only, and can be purchased from the ticket booth near Council Drive and the Hardin Administration Building at MSU Texas. Children under age 5 ride free with an adult. MSU Texas students with current ID ride free any night the trollies are in operation. Last ride leaves at approximately 9:45 p.m. Check online for updates.

Scheduled performances

(unless otherwise noted, performances take place in center front of Hardin Building)

Dates and times to come but the following choirs and bands are scheduled to perform:

Ben Franklin Elementary School Choir

Ben Milan Elementary School Choir

Fain Elementary School Choir

McNiel Middle School Choir

W.F. George Middle School Choir, Iowa Park Consolidated School District

Barwise Middle School Band

Memorial High School Jazz Band

History of the Lights

When L.T. and Lillian Burns married in the 1920s, they celebrated their first Christmas with a small tree and a single blue light bulb placed on their porch. With L.T.’s success in the oil industry, they moved to a house on the corner of Clarinda Avenue and Harrison Street and each Christmas, added more lights and displays to their celebration. He died in a car accident in 1954, but Lillian continued adding to the displays at their home. After her death in 1971, the displays were left to her son, who died in 1974. The lights were then in the care of Archer City. The town offered the lights to Midwestern State on the condition that they be operated free of charge as a memorial to Mrs. Burns. A photo of Lillian greeting visitors is posted near the welcome sign. Today, descendants of the Burns are active in the Fantasy of Lights work and sponsor several of the displays.

Snowmen at the fantasy of lights