Photo Essay: Urban Candlelight Hike 2018

Excitement had been building for weeks for the second annual Urban Candlelight, which was held last Saturday, Feb. 3. After last year’s surprisingly successful inaugural event drew an estimated 2,500 people on an especially frigid night, expectations were high among the organizers. And those expectations were exceeded.

People began appearing on the Hank Aaron State Trail in Three Bridges Park before dark and the official start time of 5:30 pm. Light snow during the day had frosted the trail with a fresh white sheen. Before long the few early birds were joined by dozens and then hundreds. And they kept coming all evening. I don’t think I’ve seen the trail as crowded at any time of the year.

Almost as if planned, snow began to fall again as the event got underway. The falling snow coated hats, softened the landscape and made everything feel magical. The overcast sky glowed from city lights surrounding the park. It never got truly dark!

The event attracted people of all stripes. There were many families pushing strollers, as well as a few wheelchairs. I even saw a few bicycles in the snow.  Lots of dogs on leashes. Children ran up the hills and slid down the steep slopes on their snow pants. Marshmallows were roasted over bonfires. Selfies were taken everywhere along the trails.

Many of the hikers were visiting Three Bridges Park for the first time. They learned, among other things, that the park stretches from the Mitchell Park Domes on the east to the Menomonee Valley branch of the Urban Ecology Center on the west. 

I haven’t yet heard an official estimate but those I spoke to were certain, as I was, that it would prove higher and likely substantially higher than last year. We do know that 1,100 adults pre-registered online even though registration was not required. And that number did not include all the children--or dogs!

Thanks to the sponsoring organizations, Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail, Menomonee Valley Partners and the Urban Ecology Center, for the effort involved in making this event so successful.

The conditions made photographing the event challenging, especially the blowing snow and so many of my images may seem a bit more impressionistic than usual. The lighting was particularly strange and not only because it was dark. The color of the overcast sky kept changing with whatever lights were nearby.

The crowds were so thick, as well as the falling snow, that I had no hope of running into anyone I knew. But I did. Several times. It was great to see y'all there!

 

This year's hike became a family affair when my wife, Lynn, brought our granddaughter, also named Lynn. 

Full disclosure: I am on the board of the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail.

Thousands flock to candle-lit Three Bridges Park

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The candles ran the length of Three Bridges Park, from the Domes to the Urban Ecology Center and for several hours a constant stream of people braved frigid temperatures to enjoy the outdoors. I’m not sure which was the more remarkable: the sheer numbers—it was clearly in the thousands—or the fact that so many who came had never been to Three Bridges Park before. There were people who traveled to Milwaukee from all over Wisconsin to participate in this family-friendly event.

Billed as the first-ever Urban Candlelight Hike in Three Bridges Park, the route and the crowds actually spilled over the Menomonee River into Stormwater Park and past Palermo’s Pizza—which was open and doing plenty of business.

In addition to pizza, participants could get free hot chocolate and churros at the Menomonee Valley branch of the Urban Ecology Center and toast marshmallows and make s’mores thanks to volunteers with the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail. One of the organizers reported that over 1,000 people were served s’mores before they ran out of their 1,300 marshmallows, 16 boxes of graham crackers and 16 boxes of chocolate bars.

After unseasonable temperatures that reached into the 70s earlier in the week, the multitudes clearly were undeterred by the resurgence of winter. Icy blasts drove wind chills well below freezing. However, the vast majority of the people I saw were suitably bundled and enjoying the outing. The diverse crowd of all ages included many children, some young enough to be pushed in baby strollers.

An ice sculptor named Christopher Andrews was on hand in Stormwater Park at the site of the former chimneys that once marked the Milwaukee Road rail yards. To commemorate the history of the site he spent the afternoon sculpting a train engine from a 200-lb. block of ice. Many who passed by on their way to the bonfires admired the resulting sculpture. One onlooker was overheard saying, “As a kid my dad would drive us by here and point to the field to say that this is where he used to work. The train in the ice looks like it could drive right off the stand to continue work.”

Official event sponsors were Menomonee Valley Partners,Inc., the Urban Ecology Center and Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail. NEWaukee also sponsored an after party at Third Space Brewing, one of the Menomonee Valley’s newest businesses. I didn’t catch the after party, but if it was anything like the main event, the place had to be hopping!

I don’t believe I’ve seen so many people in Three Bridges Park all at once even in the summer.

Full disclosure: I am on the board of directors of Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail, former artist in residence for Menomonee Valley Partners, and a great fan of the Urban Ecology Center.

Urban Candlelight Hike in Three Bridges Park this Saturday

Please join me for the first ever Urban Candlelight Hike in the Menomonee Valley.

The Urban Candlelight Hike is this Saturday.

All event details, including trail and parking information, are available at UrbanCandlelightHike.com.

Admission is free! (although donations are always appreciated to cover the costs of this year’s event and get us going for next year!)

Activity Schedule

2-5 pm - Ice sculpting – Swing by the Fire & Ice Plaza at the corner of W Canal St and W Milwaukee Rd if you want to see the ice sculpting in action. The ice sculpture will be on display from 5:30-8:30 pm.

4:30-8:30 pm - Pizza Dinner Buffet at Pizzeria 3301 at Villa Palermo
   
5 pm & 7 pm - Special Pizza Factory Tour at Palermo’s Pizza (reservations req'd) - $13 for tour, pizza buffet, and souvenir

5:30-8:30 pm - Candlelit trails open

Urban Ecology Center – free hot chocolate & churros while supplies last (conserve and bring your reusable mug), register for door prizes, photo station

Fire & Ice Plaza – warm fire pits, free marshmallow roasting, & ice sculpture on display
6 pm & 7 pm

7-10 pm - After Party with NEWaukee at Third Space Brewing

Guests are encouraged to bike on the Hank Aaron State Trail or carpool. Thank you to the following Menomonee Valley businesses for allowing parking in their lots for this event: Ingeteam, JF Ahern, Palermo's Pizza, Taylor Dynamometer, Badger Railing, and Miller Park.

Thank you for coming out for the first ever Urban Candlelight Hike in Three Bridges Park!