August 22, 2025 • 9 mins
Today we’re joined by Kathryn Ott Lovell, President & CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, to talk about an exciting campaign to bring back two of Philadelphia’s most beloved holiday traditions: the Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village. For generations, families have gathered under the glow of the Light Show, listened to the majestic sounds of the Wanamaker Organ, and created cherished memories in the heart of Center City. When Macy’s closed its Center City location, the future of these traditions was left uncertain. But thanks to the Philadelphia Visitor Center and its partners, there’s now a plan to restore the magic for the 2025 holiday season and preserve it for generations to come. ✨ If you’d like to be part of saving one of Philadelphia’s most treasured holiday traditions, visit SaveTheLightShow.org to learn more and make a donation. Every gift helps bring back the magic of the Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrow. We're going to be
talking about a very exciting opportunity that happens today, sponsored
by Barbers Who Care, giving out free haircuts, nails, and
school supplies. We're also marking Minority Organ Donor Awareness Month
with the story of Maxine Williams and her late husband
(00:22):
Al Williams, who received a kidney transplant in twenty eleven
that gave him twelve more years of life. We'll be
talking about the importance of organ donation during this Minority
Organ Donor Awareness Month. But first today we're joined by
Katherine Ott Lovell, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitors Center,
to talk about an exciting campaign to bring back two
(00:44):
of Philadelphia's most beloved holiday traditions, the Watermaker Light Show
and Dickens Village. For generations, families have gathered under the
twinkling lights, listened to the sounds of the Wannamaker organ,
and made cherished holiday memories in the heart of Center City.
After Macy closed its Center City location, the future of
(01:04):
these traditions was uncertain, but thanks to the Visitors Center
and its partners. There's a plan to restore the magic
for the twenty twenty five holiday season and preserve it
for generations to come. Well, Catherine Lovell, you've spoken about
the emotional connection Philadelphians have to these holiday traditions in
the past. Can you share some of your own favorite
(01:26):
memories of the Wannamaker Light Show or the Dickens Village.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Oh? Sure. I grew up in Philadelphia and continue to
raise my family here, and so I was brought to
the former Wannamaker Building as a young girl. Throughout my childhood,
my family would make the trip downtown on the l
to go see the Wannamaker Light Show, and I've continued
that tradition as an adult and a mom. So for
(01:51):
the past eighteen years, I have brought my own daughters
to the now the Macy's Building was the Macy's Building
to have the experians of the light show, and of
course the Dickens Village and visiting Santa at the end,
and also all of the other incredible amenities and attractions
there are in Center City Philadelphia. Now outdoors during the
(02:12):
holiday season, which wasn't a thing when I was a kid.
That's a fairly new development over the last ten years,
which I think has really just added to the whole
holiday experience in downtown Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Well, just too elaborate on what you just said. Why
do you think these traditions resonate so deeply across generations
and what do they symbolize for Philadelphia?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Philadelphians are just incredibly nostalgic. The nostalgia is really just
a core part of our essence and our being as Philadelphians,
and I think we feel it more strongly than other
people from other areas. You know, we love our memories,
we love our tradition, and we love things that are
uniquely Philadelphia, and this checks all of those boxes. I
(02:57):
think that it's an experience that so many of us
were raised with and that we want to continue to
have with our children and our grandchildren. When we started
this campaign and we launched this website that Saved Lightshow
dot org, my favorite thing so far. Every day I
go on this website to see the comments that people
write about their own experiences with the light show, how
(03:19):
grateful they are that it'll continue. It's really just so
inspiring to see that.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Well, tell us, Kevin, tell us more about the Save
the Lights Show campaign. How does public support make this possible?
And what can people do to get involved?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, public support is really the only thing that's going
to make it possible. When we set out to do this.
Literally the day I heard that Macy's was leaving that building,
I was just sad, very sad, because you know, it's
such a beautiful department store and it's been a department
store since it started, and so the loss of that tradition,
you know, was sad for me. But my second thought
(03:55):
immediately was, oh, my gosh, what's going to happen with
the light Show. I knew that the Grand and the
organ were historically designated, so I knew that there was
some level of preservation that would happen for them, and
I knew there was a friends of the Wannamaker organ
that has stewarded that incredible masterpiece for decades. But I
just didn't know what was going to happen to the
light Show and the Dickens Village. And so we immediately
(04:18):
started a fact finding mission and just trying to get
connected to the right people and quickly realized within a
few weeks how expensive it is to mount this show
each year. You know, it comes down and goes up
each year, which many people don't realize. The Dickens Village
days in its current state, but has to be tweaked
every year and maintained every year and spruced up. And
(04:41):
I don't think I certainly had no idea what the
Macy's and the department stores before them, what they were
contributing to make this experience happen for Philadelphians for free.
This certainly was a driver for them in terms of retail,
I think, and I'm sure that's how mister Wannamaker envisioned it.
You know that this was going to we drive people
foot traffic to his department store. But it's a massive
(05:04):
lift to make this happen, not just to put the
show up and break it down, but just to staff
the show from a security standpoint and a visitor experience
standpoint is a really significant lift. So we put together
a very preliminary budget just to get a sense of
what we thought it was going to cost. Of course,
those numbers continue to go up as we learn more
and more, and that's when we decided that we needed
(05:27):
to put this out to the public. That I believed
in my heart of hearts. We're going to see this
as a really worthy cause to support.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Looking ahead, how do you see preserving these holiday traditions
shaping the city's cultural identity, the local economy, and holiday
celebrations for future generations.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
That's a big question right now. We have every intent
and hope that we're going to raise enough funds to
be able to help preserve the traditions in addition to
putting the show on this year, but that's yet to
be determined. TF Cornerstone is the company that owns the building. Now.
They've been in an extraordinary partner to us. They're a
(06:04):
New York based company. This is their first building a
project in Philadelphia. They have an incredible experience in historic preservation.
They're deeply committed to this building and to ensuring that
it remains a cultural destination. However, they're not done with
their design plans, and we're not quite sure how the
light show in the Dickens Village may fit into those
(06:24):
design plans and if they will fit in to the
future plans for that building. We're hopeful that they will,
and we're hopeful if we do this right this year,
that we can continue to in future years to have
an attraction there like this. If we can't, then that's
going to be a big question mark and discovery phase
of where else we could possibly mount these two attractions.
(06:46):
Because the light show was built for the Wannamaker building,
once I saw it behind the scenes, the control room
for the light show is called Frosty Central. Once I
saw Frosty Central uploads and personal, I quickly realized that
this would be really, really if not impossible, to move
out of that building.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah. Well, there are a lot of people out there
who have similar wonderful memories about the holiday show. And
if people that are listening would like to help preserve
Philadelphia's most cherished holiday traditions, how can they do that?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
They can go to Save the Lightshow dot org and
there you'll find an opportunity to give. Some people are
giving five dollars, some people giving twenty five dollars. We
have several people who've given one thousand dollars, and we're
able to provide some incentives for the donors, so you
can receive a magnet, you can receive a beautiful print,
a limited edition print, and then even going up for
(07:44):
higher level donors' receiving best seats in the House, which
will include very perfect seats to see the light show
for those VIPs when they come to see the light show.
So and then also we're planning to have a preview
lighting showing of the light show so that folks we'll
be invited to that as well. So it's wonderful to
see and we have over four hundred donors so far
(08:06):
contributing close to fifty thousand dollars. Amazing to see the
comments that they're writing, you know, in memory, in honor
of people who brought them to the light show. It
just makes you feel so good to be a Philadelphian.
And it makes me excited for the holidays as summer
comes to an end, it comes to a close now
starting to you know, to get me excited for the
holiday season for twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And what is that website Savedelightshow dot org. Fantastic. Well,
let's hope that we can work together to save one
of Philadelphia's most cherish holiday traditions. Catherine att Lovel, President
and CEO the Philadelphia Visitors Center, talking about this exciting
campaign to bring back to Philadelphia's most beloved holiday traditions,
(08:47):
the Wannamaker Light Show and Dickens Village. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Thank you Lorraine, You're amazing.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
We'll have more insight after these messages.
Good morning, and welcome to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Ballard Morrow. We're going to be
talking about a very exciting opportunity that happens today, sponsored
by Barbers Who Care, giving out free haircuts, nails, and
school supplies. We're also marking Minority Organ Donor Awareness Month
with the story of Maxine Williams and her late husband
(00:22):
Al Williams, who received a kidney transplant in twenty eleven
that gave him twelve more years of life. We'll be
talking about the importance of organ donation during this Minority
Organ Donor Awareness Month. But first today we're joined by
Katherine Ott Lovell, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitors Center,
to talk about an exciting campaign to bring back two
(00:44):
of Philadelphia's most beloved holiday traditions, the Watermaker Light Show
and Dickens Village. For generations, families have gathered under the
twinkling lights, listened to the sounds of the Wannamaker organ,
and made cherished holiday memories in the heart of Center City.
After Macy closed its Center City location, the future of
(01:04):
these traditions was uncertain, but thanks to the Visitors Center
and its partners. There's a plan to restore the magic
for the twenty twenty five holiday season and preserve it
for generations to come. Well, Catherine Lovell, you've spoken about
the emotional connection Philadelphians have to these holiday traditions in
the past. Can you share some of your own favorite
(01:26):
memories of the Wannamaker Light Show or the Dickens Village.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Oh? Sure. I grew up in Philadelphia and continue to
raise my family here, and so I was brought to
the former Wannamaker Building as a young girl. Throughout my childhood,
my family would make the trip downtown on the l
to go see the Wannamaker Light Show, and I've continued
that tradition as an adult and a mom. So for
(01:51):
the past eighteen years, I have brought my own daughters
to the now the Macy's Building was the Macy's Building
to have the experians of the light show, and of
course the Dickens Village and visiting Santa at the end,
and also all of the other incredible amenities and attractions
there are in Center City Philadelphia. Now outdoors during the
(02:12):
holiday season, which wasn't a thing when I was a kid.
That's a fairly new development over the last ten years,
which I think has really just added to the whole
holiday experience in downtown Philadelphia.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Well, just too elaborate on what you just said. Why
do you think these traditions resonate so deeply across generations
and what do they symbolize for Philadelphia?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Philadelphians are just incredibly nostalgic. The nostalgia is really just
a core part of our essence and our being as Philadelphians,
and I think we feel it more strongly than other
people from other areas. You know, we love our memories,
we love our tradition, and we love things that are
uniquely Philadelphia, and this checks all of those boxes. I
(02:57):
think that it's an experience that so many of us
were raised with and that we want to continue to
have with our children and our grandchildren. When we started
this campaign and we launched this website that Saved Lightshow
dot org, my favorite thing so far. Every day I
go on this website to see the comments that people
write about their own experiences with the light show, how
(03:19):
grateful they are that it'll continue. It's really just so
inspiring to see that.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Well, tell us, Kevin, tell us more about the Save
the Lights Show campaign. How does public support make this possible?
And what can people do to get involved?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, public support is really the only thing that's going
to make it possible. When we set out to do this.
Literally the day I heard that Macy's was leaving that building,
I was just sad, very sad, because you know, it's
such a beautiful department store and it's been a department
store since it started, and so the loss of that tradition,
you know, was sad for me. But my second thought
(03:55):
immediately was, oh, my gosh, what's going to happen with
the light Show. I knew that the Grand and the
organ were historically designated, so I knew that there was
some level of preservation that would happen for them, and
I knew there was a friends of the Wannamaker organ
that has stewarded that incredible masterpiece for decades. But I
just didn't know what was going to happen to the
light Show and the Dickens Village. And so we immediately
(04:18):
started a fact finding mission and just trying to get
connected to the right people and quickly realized within a
few weeks how expensive it is to mount this show
each year. You know, it comes down and goes up
each year, which many people don't realize. The Dickens Village
days in its current state, but has to be tweaked
every year and maintained every year and spruced up. And
(04:41):
I don't think I certainly had no idea what the
Macy's and the department stores before them, what they were
contributing to make this experience happen for Philadelphians for free.
This certainly was a driver for them in terms of retail,
I think, and I'm sure that's how mister Wannamaker envisioned it.
You know that this was going to we drive people
foot traffic to his department store. But it's a massive
(05:04):
lift to make this happen, not just to put the
show up and break it down, but just to staff
the show from a security standpoint and a visitor experience
standpoint is a really significant lift. So we put together
a very preliminary budget just to get a sense of
what we thought it was going to cost. Of course,
those numbers continue to go up as we learn more
and more, and that's when we decided that we needed
(05:27):
to put this out to the public. That I believed
in my heart of hearts. We're going to see this
as a really worthy cause to support.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Looking ahead, how do you see preserving these holiday traditions
shaping the city's cultural identity, the local economy, and holiday
celebrations for future generations.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
That's a big question right now. We have every intent
and hope that we're going to raise enough funds to
be able to help preserve the traditions in addition to
putting the show on this year, but that's yet to
be determined. TF Cornerstone is the company that owns the building. Now.
They've been in an extraordinary partner to us. They're a
(06:04):
New York based company. This is their first building a
project in Philadelphia. They have an incredible experience in historic preservation.
They're deeply committed to this building and to ensuring that
it remains a cultural destination. However, they're not done with
their design plans, and we're not quite sure how the
light show in the Dickens Village may fit into those
(06:24):
design plans and if they will fit in to the
future plans for that building. We're hopeful that they will,
and we're hopeful if we do this right this year,
that we can continue to in future years to have
an attraction there like this. If we can't, then that's
going to be a big question mark and discovery phase
of where else we could possibly mount these two attractions.
(06:46):
Because the light show was built for the Wannamaker building,
once I saw it behind the scenes, the control room
for the light show is called Frosty Central. Once I
saw Frosty Central uploads and personal, I quickly realized that
this would be really, really if not impossible, to move
out of that building.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah. Well, there are a lot of people out there
who have similar wonderful memories about the holiday show. And
if people that are listening would like to help preserve
Philadelphia's most cherished holiday traditions, how can they do that?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
They can go to Save the Lightshow dot org and
there you'll find an opportunity to give. Some people are
giving five dollars, some people giving twenty five dollars. We
have several people who've given one thousand dollars, and we're
able to provide some incentives for the donors, so you
can receive a magnet, you can receive a beautiful print,
a limited edition print, and then even going up for
(07:44):
higher level donors' receiving best seats in the House, which
will include very perfect seats to see the light show
for those VIPs when they come to see the light show.
So and then also we're planning to have a preview
lighting showing of the light show so that folks we'll
be invited to that as well. So it's wonderful to
see and we have over four hundred donors so far
(08:06):
contributing close to fifty thousand dollars. Amazing to see the
comments that they're writing, you know, in memory, in honor
of people who brought them to the light show. It
just makes you feel so good to be a Philadelphian.
And it makes me excited for the holidays as summer
comes to an end, it comes to a close now
starting to you know, to get me excited for the
holiday season for twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And what is that website Savedelightshow dot org. Fantastic. Well,
let's hope that we can work together to save one
of Philadelphia's most cherish holiday traditions. Catherine att Lovel, President
and CEO the Philadelphia Visitors Center, talking about this exciting
campaign to bring back to Philadelphia's most beloved holiday traditions,
(08:47):
the Wannamaker Light Show and Dickens Village. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Thank you Lorraine, You're amazing.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
We'll have more insight after these messages.
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