11-13-25 VISIT FT. WAYNE

Erin Okesson of Visit Fort Wayne checked in to tell Todd what's going on for the month of November. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Turn over to Fort Wayne see what's happening there and
to do so, we check in with our friends at
visit Fort Wayne and visit Fort Wayne dot com, specifically
Aaron Okusson. And of course it's about time for people
to start putting up their Christmas well, I mean a
lot of people have already put up their Christmas lights,
but community displays and such, now is the time. And

(00:21):
in Fort Wayne, you just happen to have a venue
that's able to handle large crowds. A Parkviewfield, the home
of the Minor league baseball Fort Wayne ten Caps. They
do a Christmas lighting display there, do they?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
They do? Yeah, So it feels like these lighting events
keep getting earlier and earlier. So Parkview Field they now
for their second year, are going to have this great
walkthrough holiday lights experience and it takes off actually this weekend,
so you have lots of time to enjoy that this
holiday season. But yes, it takes place throughout the whole
the concourse on the field, and they have more than

(00:58):
one point five million lights, amazing displays choreographed to holiday music.
And then while you're there, you can also enjoy a
train ride around the concourse that goes around the field,
grab a warm drink, and they just have really fun,
interactive activities for the whole family. So that's going to
be going on nightly through early January, so lots of
chances to enjoy that Parksy Field Holiday lights.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Yeah, and that's also part of the trend. You know,
teams try to find things to do in their stadium
in the you know what seven eight months they're not
using it, so that's a good thing as well. We're
talking with Aaron Ocussen from visit Fort Wayne. Speaking of
lights in Fort Wayne, there's a big deal. I think
you said some night before Thanksgiving an annual thing.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Right, Yeah, So this is a huge tradition here in
Fort Wayne. It's called the Night of Lights, and it
always happens the night before Thanksgiving, and that is kind
of a progressive lighting of our downtown iconic giant holiday
lights displays. So, you know, thousands of people gather downtown

(02:01):
for this just really fun festive night. So all of
our biggest lights displays will be lit that night and
then that kind of kicks off our season of holiday festivities.
So that's on November twenty sixth, and that is when
some of our favorite festivals start like the Festival of
Trees at the MBSs Theater where you can see hundreds
of festive decorated trees, The Fantasy of Lights, which is

(02:22):
a three mile driving route through one of our parks
and they have more than one hundred and fifty gigantic
lights displays, and then the Festival of Gingerbread at the
History Center where you can see tons of really intricate,
really cool gingerbread creations. So it really kicks off just
the whole season of festivities.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
I guess it does. The Night of Lights and Fort
Wayne that would be the night before Thanksgiving, so look
forward to that. Also, Aaron in Fort Wayne, you guys
have a lot of wintertime outdoor activity opportunities. I mean
we had a blast of winter there. It's a sort
of moderated, but soon enough it'll be cold enough to
do all these winter outdoor activities and Fort Wayne has

(03:02):
a lot of that we do.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, I think this week was kind of a reminder
that winter truly is coming. So you can, you know,
grab your ice skates or rent a pair of ice
skates when you get here, but you can enjoy some
outdoor ice skating at Headwaters Park right in downtown Fort Wayne.
This is one of our great parks and so you
can enjoy the fresh air while you get some exercise.
And so that ice rink is going to be opening

(03:26):
on November twenty second, so come enjoy that with the family.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Absolutely, speaking of skating though, it's a comma takey time.
This season is underway and this is a long time
tradition in Fort Wayne, and this is the time of
year to get things going.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Absolutely. Yes, So the Comments are going to be having
their home opener on November twenty first, so you know,
we would love to see you there. They just installed
a brand new floor and ice, so it's a whole
new system that they have there. They really elevated it
and the atmosphere is just electric at a commet tame.
So I encourage you if you're planning a trip to
Fort Wayne, grab your tickets to see a Comments game,

(04:05):
join the jungle and just have so much fun with
the family.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Yeah, I guess I didn't realize they hadn't played at
home yet. They had four games on the road and
a couple of more before that home opener you talked about.
So yeah, that's Friday, November twenty first, and Kamatakey is
a long time sports tradition in Fort Wayne. Eron. If
folks want to come for any or all of that,
what kind of things can they find at your website?

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah, definitely go to our website at Visitfortwayne dot com.
You're going to find all of these events and so
many more. You can find great hotel packages, so if
you want to make an overnight stay, you can bundle
that hotel's day with some great gift cards and other discounts.
You're going to find restaurant recommendations and so much more.
So go to visit fort Wayne dot com to plan
your trip right here to Fort Wayne.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yep, no doubt you should do that. It's always good
to save money and plan ahead. And the folks that
visit Fort Wayne, of course, are the experts in that
re If you're heading to the Fort Wayne area and
need to check him out, Eron always great to talk
with you, and we look forward to chatting them out
to things in December coming up soon.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Sounds great, Thanks so much,