Christmas is aglow in Gas City’s Eugene “Beaner” Linn Park. The petting zoo and baseball diamonds of the summer have become a 90-acre winter wonderland. The display was lit Thanksgiving night and will glow through the end of the year.

Parks Board President David Pyle said this Christmas season will be no. 17 for the display. Marion’s Walkway of Lights in Matter Park is only a few years older.

“We begin in October, purchasing displays and bulbs,” Pyle said.

“The electrical department is a big part” in ensuring everything is ready for the displays to be placed throughout the park, he added.

Displays were set up on Nov. 1. Unfortunately, an increase in vandalism has kept the workers busy with repairs and getting displays put back correctly. They’ve had to fix issues with a smoke machine for the 45-foot semi-tractor trailer display as well.

When Pyle joined the park board three years ago, the panel decided to add a new display each year. This year’s addition will be a display with the Biblical three kings. Along with a nativity scene last year, music was added to the atmosphere.

“We have music that plays throughout about 75 percent of the park,” Pyle said.

Pyle was quick to explain the display has no real target audience: “Nursing homes bring residents through.” He includes groups of friends, couples, and grandparents in the demographic as well. According to Pyle, the display really appeals to all ages.

“We’re going to do everything to make sure it remains free,” Pyle said. This includes having a family host the lights display each night, handing out candy canes in the cabin at the entrance.

Last year the lights display had 40 sponsors from local businesses, families and groups. Mississinewa Schools sponsors a display for We Care, and Walnut Creek/Club Run Golf Complex sponsors its own display. Pyle and his wife, owners of Gas City Pizza King, have a display for their business as well. Pyle said there were 30 sponsors on board for 2011.

Pyle said horse and buggy rides will be available to take people through the park’s Christmas display Dec. 3 from 4-8 p.m. This accompanies a craft show in Hontz Hall, located inside the park. The park is located on Main Street in Gas City, off Broadway and down the road on the right.

The Gas City Sports Card Shack opened its doors to community youth almost two decades ago. And even after hard times, the shop remains true to its original purpose of supporting the surrounding area.

“It’s about giving back to the society, not just taking from it,” said Bill Watson, owner of the Sports Card Shack.

Watson and his wife Sandy opened the shop 18 years ago, after their kids put the idea in their heads. The card shack sold a variety of trading cards like any of the other card shops in the area, but Bill Watson had bigger ideas in mind. He sectioned off part of the store for any kids who wanted to trade the cards there or play Pokemon together.

Jamie Dobbs (sr) and Jacob Wheeler (sr) went to the shop as kids to meet up with their friends. Bill said often parents felt free to just drop their kids off because many of the shop’s regulars view the Watsons as another set of grandparents.

Bill Watson didn’t just watch the kids come and go. He had opportunities to help them out along the way.  If he found out any his regulars’ families were in a tough financial spot, he would donate some of his more valuable cards to them.

Cody Lawson, an IWU transfer for spring 2012, grew up going to the Sports Card Shack and continues to support the local business. He has often heard Bill Watson say that if the kids are in the store, that means they’re not on the streets, especially because some of them don’t have good homes.

Lawson also said he hopes the card shack will return to its golden days after a decline in the past three years. The shop lost more than $150,000 worth of cards in a recent string of burglaries, including one in the past month. The real hit, though, was Sandy’s diagnosis of cancer.

“We’re hoping something will bounce back and give hope to the place again,” said Bill Watson. “Until then the ‘Magic’ has kind’ve kept us.” Bill Watson was referencing his collection of “Magic: The Gathering” cards, but Lawson believes the meaning to be much more. When Lawson was a child, the small store on Gas City’s Main Street gave him a sense of the magic of community and friendship.

“It’s a place for kids like myself to come and find a community, to find friends who you’ll have for life. The friends that I have today are friends that I met while playing Pokemon or Magic, and I would do anything for those people. The store offers a community, and that can be difficult to find,” said Lawson. “The store has a place in our hearts. It’s our store. Not many people can say that.”