Kapco’s Kids2Kids Wonderland Drive-Thru reopens, busiest night of the year
GRAFTON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Kapco Kids2Kids Christmas Wonderland in Grafton reopened after the space suffered severe wind damage earlier in the week.
The holiday drive-thru lights show had to close for a few nights before reopening. Organizers were concerned the damage would impact their annual toy drive, as it's usually their busiest week of the year.
Neil Willenson is the Vice President of Community Relations for Kapco. He told CBS 58 that last year about 11,000 cars drove through Wonderland.
???COMING UP: A popular Grafton light show reopened for the first time in 3 days after being damaged by severe winds. Hear from folks who showed up tonight on @CBS58! pic.twitter.com/pc5DJy9qdL
— Alex Corradetti (@AlexCorradetti) December 19, 2021
Strong winds shattered glass, toppled arches, blew trees away and tossed light fixtures/ornaments out of place.
The damage caused a revenue loss of $25,000 to $30,000. Revenue organizers hope to get back in the next eleven days.
Willenson said they got the show back on track thanks to volunteers.
"It's been a challenging few days here at Wonderland. In preparation for the wind storm we closed Wednesday night, but when we woke up Thursday morning this place was a mess. It almost looked like a mini tornado came through," explained Willenson.
As folks go through the show, the last stop is to visit Santa Claus. Right after that, kids drop off toys that will be donated to other children for their annual toy drive.
"To have children as young as 3-4 years-old bring a toy that means something to them and give it to another child... it's so heartwarming that’s what its all about," said Willenson.
In 2020, the company gathered 26,000 toys. Most of those were donated to the Salvation Army.
If you'd like to donate, toys can be dropped off during business hours at Kapco, 1000 Badger Circle in Grafton. People can also shop online and ship the toys to Kids2Kids Christmas, 1000 Badger Circle, Grafton, WI 53024.
To learn more, you can visit their website here.