Resident lights up Woodland Villa
Thursday, December 14, 2006 -- Natalie Miller
Always a fan of nearby Upper Canada Village’s Alight At Night Festival, a Woodland Villa resident wanted to bring the twinkle of Christmas to the Long Sault nursing home.

Resident Dorothy Thompson set out to raise $300 for the purchase of lights to string along the trees on the home’s property and decorate the building.

“Upper Canada Village is up the road and whole village is decorated with lights,” explains Michael Rasenberg, administrator of Woodland Villa.

Upper Canada Village Heritage Park creates a ‘winter wonderland’ with the lighting of more than 200,000 Christmas lights on the village’s heritage houses and trees on the park grounds. Among the popular activities during Alight at Night are horse-drawn wagon and carriage rides, train rides, Christmas music, dinners on site, shopping at the Village Store and photos with Santa.

Dorothy approached Michael with her plan to set Woodland Villa aglow. “She started to collect money from everybody and anybody,” says Michael. “She even got our MPP involved.”

Dorothy raised the money and staff at the home “put together a game plan”, with staff purchasing lights and decorating the outdoors. The home held an official lighting ceremony Dec. 7.

“I thought it was great,” says Michael about Dorothy’s initiative. “It’s their home. It’s what she wanted.”

Dorothy’s daughter, Wanda, says her mother has always been impressed by the lights at the nearby tourist attraction.

“She wanted this place to look like Upper Canada Village. It gave her something to do.”