At 6 p.m. on that day after Thanksgiving, a twinkling wonderland of holiday lights will spring to animated life along a mile-long driving tour wandering through the park. In keeping with the holiday spirit, all gate admissions from the festival will be donated to charities serving Berkeley County, making this a gift that keeps on giving.

The driving tour will operate seven days a week through Dec. 30, with the exception of Dec. 24-25. And there’s more.

Beginning Dec. 3, the weekends will also feature Holiday Fairs inviting visitors to park their cars after the driving tour and enjoy musical entertainment, food and marshmallow roasts, arts and crafts, tours of the historic Stony House decorated for the holidays in a style authentic to its period, a gallery of 8-foot wooden holiday cards decorated by art students throughout Berkeley County, and visits with Santa Claus. Holiday Fair hours are 5-9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and 6-9 p.m. on Fridays, from Dec. 3 through Dec. 18.

“Celebrate The Season is a gift to Berkeley County residents and to those who live in nearby communities and want another opportunity for convenient, wholesome holiday fun,” said Troy Diel, Old Santee Canal Park director. “It really represents the community coming together in the spirit of the season. It’s a new community tradition that we hope will bring people back throughout this season and in years to come.”

Diel noted some unique features about Celebrate The Season:

•    Gate admission is $5 per vehicle (up to 15-passenger). Gate proceeds will be donated to the Trident United Way for Berkeley County programs and the Berkeley County Museum.

•    All food sales will benefit local charities as well.

•    All lights used in the displays and decorations are energy-efficient LED lights, which are 90 percent more efficient than traditional lights.

•    Celebrate The Season is powered by Santee Cooper Green Power, which is generated by South Carolina renewable resources such as landfill gas, solar and wind energy.

“We’re excited that so many businesses operating in Berkeley County have signed on to sponsor this inaugural Celebrate The Season,” Diel continued. “They have come together for this wonderful gift to the community, which keeps giving as the gate admissions are collected and then reinvested in our community as donations to the charities working here.”

Celebrate The Season is made possible by sponsorships from leading businesses including Santee Cooper, Berkeley Electric Cooperative, Berkeley County, Home Telecom, Wells Fargo, Central True Value Hardware, the town of Moncks Corner,  Delta Pharmacy, Peggy Pinnell Insurance Agency, Lord Berkeley Land Trust, Berkeley Family Dentistry, Drs. Kunkle, Kunkle & Powell, Dr. Grosso DMD, BB&T, Farmers & Merchants Bank, First Federal, Friends & Family of ALS Victims, Piggly Wiggly, Santee Cooper Credit Union, Small Groups of Pointe North Community Church, South Carolina Bank & Trust, South Carolina Federal Credit Union, South Carolina Stingrays, and SunTrust. For more information, visit www.oldsanteecanalpark.org/celebratetheseason.