MUSCATINE, Iowa — Hundreds of feet of extension cables were stolen or damaged from the Crossroads, Inc. iLLUMINATE light display in Muscatine's Weed Park on Christmas evening.
The display has been running since Thanksgiving weekend raising money for the disability and senior services Crossroads provides, but the show was closed Dec. 26-28 after the vandalism was discovered.
"Several thousand feet of extension cords, in the neighborhood of about $2,200 of equipment have gone missing," Crossroads CEO Marc Hines said.
Hines said an anonymous donor has come forward to cover the cost of replacing the 40 extension and 16-gauge cords.
"We've had folks calling in and offering to donate extension cords and money and 'how can we volunteer,' 'what we can do to help,' and it's it's been really heartening to see folks turn what was a kind of a tragedy into something pretty beautiful," Hines said.
"The community has really shown us that inclusion is important and that we're all in this together and coming together," Event Coordinator Megan Francis said.
This is the first year Crossroads has held iLLUMINATE. Hines said the display has seen an average of 150 cars a night, with the majority giving the requested $10 per car donation.
Hines said the organization draws more than 90% of its revenue from Medicaid, which has static rates that don't always keep up with inflation. iLLUMINATE was started to help Crossroads with its various infrastructure projects, like purchasing accessible vans and keeping up with the rising cost of labor.
Crossroads has two more years in its contract with the company that owns the light displays, according to Hines. He said they still have every intention of returning to Weed Park next year thanks to support from the community.
"While four o'clock [Monday] was one of the most difficult and aggravating points of our experience, the response afterwards was exceptional," Hines said.
iLLUMINATE is aiming to reopen on Friday and Saturday nights. Crossroads is accepting online donations on its website. Anyone interested in volunteering to rewire the displays on Friday can email mfrancis@crossroadsmuscatine.org for more details.
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