Encore Electric and Weifield Contracting among many companies that helped CYO go electric
guest post by Mishelle Baun, Mantooth Company
Each holiday season, our annual NoCo Winter Wonderland drive-through display showcases 19 light features plus over 500,000 lights throughout the property.
But this year, instead of filling up noisy generators nightly with 30 gallons of gasoline (about 750 gallons over the 25-night run), CYO will go gasoline-free. That’s because five businesses – some who are competitors – teamed up to convert our magical one-mile-long route to quiet, environmentally friendly, all-electric power.
“Flipping a switch to run NoCo Winter Wonderland is a thrill! It’s a huge upgrade for Colorado Youth Outdoors,” explains our Northeast Executive Director Luke Brough. “But the impact of CYO’s power project goes way beyond lighting one event. We’ve already begun running fountains in a couple of our ponds; the moving water helps fish health tremendously. Electricity gives us options we’ve never had!”
Our volunteers and donations make switching to electricity possible
The infrastructure cost necessary to convert the power project to electricity was approximately $200,000. However, thanks to our partnerships and the generosity of area businesses, CYO only paid $41,000 to make the switch.
Eel Drilling and Interstates started the project back in 2021, designing the route and installing conduit in the ground. At that time, the cost to continue was too much; the project stalled.
Folks from electrical companies stepped up in 2024! Over 100 volunteers donated around 600 hours, with Encore Electric donating almost half of this time. “We held an Encore Gives Day at CYO where 25 people showed up with their families – no one got paid,” shared Encore Electric Superintendent Brandon Bond. “Families put lights on trees while electricians pulled wire, including our president. At Encore Electric, we’re all local to Northern Colorado. We love supporting CYO, and we love that they’re getting kids throughout the community outside learning skills they can pass on to the next generation.”
Encore volunteers showed up on evenings and weekends, donating 293 hours. “Our team loves being involved with CYO, and their mission aligns with Encore’s and our families’ values; we all want the same for our community and serving at CYO enabled us to give back to future generations” shared Senior Project Manager Ryan Cropp. In addition to Encore, Weifield Group team members contributed 72 hours, Xcel Energy staff logged 76 hours, and Civitas donated 54 hours to help further minimize our environmental footprint.
Brandon shared, “One of the coolest parts about this project is when we told our vendors what we were trying to do, they were 100% willing to donate items. It was an easy ask.”
Border States donated pipe fittings and electrical connections, Rexel USA donated wire, and Sunstate Equipment donated the use of their equipment for installation.
Volunteers from Civitas and Otterbox filled in the dirt around the newly installed electrical boxes to finish up the electrical project. Otterbox employees also come out every Wednesday to help set up Winter Wonderland.
The annual display, which raises operating funds for CYO, comes to life on our 220-acre property. The site is located at the southeast edge of Fort Collins, near the intersection of Larimer County Road 5 and Kechter Road.
NoCo Winter Wonderland Opens Thanksgiving Night
NoCo Winter Wonderland runs from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., from November 28 through December 31, 2024. The 15-minute display, viewed from inside your vehicle, includes 19 light features plus 500,000 tree lights (that’s one million if you count the reflections off our 12 ponds). Tickets are sold in 15-minute intervals and go fast! As a friend of CYO, you are among the first to receive the ticket link.
Luke added, “Volunteers make NoCo Winter Wonderland possible, and everyone at CYO – plus the families we serve – offer a heartfelt word of thanks.”