Monday Memories: Christmas light displays dazzled zoogoers in 1995

‘Twas the Lights Before Christmas and all through the zoo, the visitors were entranced by light displays, many of which looked like their favorite creatures. Though most of those creatures were tucked away in their dens, the Toledo Zoo in 1995 had filled walkways and animal viewing areas with displays containing more than 600,000 lights, taking more than 3,000 hours to assemble. In this Blade archive photo, sparkling butterflies hover around a big Christmas tree near the zoo entrance. Several thousand people braved below freezing temperatures to attend the opening night of that 10th annual display, eager to get an early start on holiday festivities. This year, Lights Before Christmas opens on Friday, Nov. 22 and runs through December 31.  It contains more than 1 million lights and some 200 animal displays. In addition to viewing the lights, visitors can enjoy plenty of other activities, such as visiting Santa and slipping down an ice slide. Go to thebladevault.com/memories to purchase more historical photos taken by our award-winning staff of photographers, past and present, or to purchase combinations of stories and photos.