The Dakota County Trails by Candlelight event on Jan. 24 at Thompson Park in West St. Paul was a huge success bringing over 500 people to the park for three hours of family friendly fun and exploration. There were food trucks available along with plenty of fires to warm up at and inside the park building, hot chocolate and conversation. The event ran from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and took over 80 volunteers with 20 staff members to set up and tear down.

The event at Thompson Park featured six different loop trails all averaging less than a mile to complete. Each trail mixed with others to give a variety of paths for guests to see. The views were quite lovely with the ambiance created by the LED candles. The Dakota County team was forced to change from real candles to LEDs due to the limited snow on the ground which is ultimately for fire prevention.

The next event is scheduled for Feb. 7 from 6-9 p.m. at Spring Lake Park Reserve in Hastings. This location is much more remote than the Thompson Park location that is surrounded by West St. Paul homes. The remote location should cut down on the light pollution from streetlights, traffic and homes which should make the candlelight pop more. Now, if only Mother Nature would assist with a few inches of snow to really put on a beautiful show, the walk could be extraordinarily magical.

To get tickets and to learn more about the event, visit the Hastings Journal website, www.hastingsjournal.news and click on the banner ad to be taken directly to the page on the county website.