Luminary Loppet lights up winter
Local fundraiser brings community together
February 4, 2016
Freshman Lexi Lee remembers seeing Lake of the Isles illuminated with candles from her previous Luminary Loppet experience a few years ago, and hopes to return one winter.
The Luminary Loppet is an annual outdoor event around Lake of the Isles, according to Emily Eastman, the sponsorship and marketing manager for the Loppet Foundation. She said it brings the Minneapolis community together through the love of winter.
“Our mission is to create a shared passion for year around outdoor adventure in Minneapolis,” Eastman said.
Lee said she recalls the immediate reaction she had upon walking on the lake years back.
“It was a really fun experience. It was really cold though,” Lee said. “There were a bunch of lights everywhere, it was really pretty. I want to go again sometime.”
According to Eastman, ticket revenue from the Luminary Loppet helps underserved children in North Minneapolis learn to live a more active lifestyle all year.
“We work with students in elementary and middle school and teach them how to cross country ski and mountain bike and just get outdoors, get active and learn to love the park system of Minneapolis,” Eastman said.
Freshman Anika Hanson said she participated in the Luminary Loppet in previous years, but did not know how the foundation uses the money it receives from the ticket sales.
“I didn’t know much about the Loppet going into it, but it’s cool that it benefits kids in Minneapolis,” Hanson said. “I would definitely go again.”
Eastman said the Luminary Loppet exists as one of the many fundraisers the Loppet Foundation puts on throughout the year.
“The Luminary Loppet is one of our largest events during our City of Lakes Loppet Festival Weekend,” Eastman said. “We usually sell out every year, and the number caps at around 8,000 every year for the Luminary.”
Being a non-profit, the foundation relies heavily on volunteers. Eastman said hundreds of volunteers perform most of the physical work that goes into making the Luminary special.
“The main committee for the Luminary Loppet thinks about the Luminary day and night all year around,” Eastman said. “A lot of the main members on the Luminary Loppet committee live right around the Lake of the Isles neighborhood. They take it as a passion because it is an activity that happens right in their backyard.”
Eastman said the volunteer committee creates all of the ice sculptures at the Loppet directly on Lake of the Isles days prior to the event.
“We actually bring the machines and the 1,300 buckets out on the ice. We let them freeze on the ice and then we hatch them on the ice. Then we move them around (on the lake),” Eastman said. “So most of the creations happen on the lake itself.”
Eastman said some of the bigger sculptures that make an appearance every year at the Loppet are made from pre-formed molds. Eastman said iconic sights such as Stonehenge and the Easter Island heads serve as inspiration for the sculptures.
“We have Icehenge (Stonehenge) and Icester Island (Easter Island). Those are formed from the Luminary committee over the years,” Eastman said. “They are frozen like that. We have plywood forms and then we fill the molds up on the ice. We have created a mechanism to pick the form up, remove the ice and we are able to pull the form right off the head.”
Eastman said for the most part, the Loppet stays the same every year, however there are some new features added, including a section of the Loppet created solely by the community.
“We opened up the Luminary this year to the community for a small installation in our community garden which is in the enchanted forest area on the loop,” Eastman said. “We have had some community members apply to create a small piece of art in the garden area.”
Eastman said in past years they featured an after-party with live music and heated tents. But this year, the foundation will expand the activity into the new Luminary Party that REI will host on the lagoon between Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun.
“Last year it was just a band and a tent open to all ages, but it was limited. It was a really tight space. Only about 800 people could fit in the tent but with 8,000 participants, it wasn’t an opportunity for everyone who came,” Eastman said. “So this year we are launching the REI Luminary party. We are working with a radio station that booked a great band.”
Since the Loppet takes place outside with no indoor space available, Eastman said she advises all participants to dress warm.
“We have hot cocoa stops (and) fire pits with straw bales around them so people can warm up,” Eastman said. “But it is an outdoor event so we tell everyone (to) be prepared for the weather.”
Eastman said participants can ski, snowshoe or walk around the Lake of the Isles while viewing the ice sculptures.
“No matter how you spend the night, it is always a magical experience,” Eastman said. “It is unique to be a part of a night event with no artificial light in front of the city. It is such a cool thing that you don’t get the opportunity to see anytime else.”
For more information about the upcoming Luminary Loppet and to buy tickets, visit the Loppet website. The Luminary Loppet takes place at 6 p.m. Feb. 6 on the Lake of the Isles.
