Five years ago, a small group of Fairbury residents took a December drive through Belleville, Kansas, and returned home inspired. Their hometown, they felt, deserved a Christmas lights experience just as magical — a place for families to gather, a display that could grow year after year, and a tradition all of Southeast Nebraska could be proud of.

From that simple spark, Christmas at Crystal Springs was born.
 

Year One: A Humble Beginning

The very first year was little more than a handful of volunteers, a couple campsites, and whatever lights could be dug out of an attic.

“Basically, it was whatever I had sitting in my attic — that’s what we had the first year,” joked Brian Schmidt, one of the founding committee members. “We started with nothing… but we had a vision.”

That small cluster of lights was the start of something much bigger.
 

Years Two & Three: Momentum Builds

As the idea spread, more families, more churches, and more local businesses stepped in. Display by display, the event grew — not just in size, but in community spirit. Grace Lutheran Church joined the effort early on, bringing with them their beloved live nativity, and instantly became an anchor of the experience.

Their youth leaders, Krystal Schroeder and Heidi Layton, recall those early years fondly: “We’ve learned as we’ve grown,” Schroeder said. “The first year we had setups all over the park — freezing, chaotic, fun — but every year we’ve gotten smarter and more organized. And it’s been a blast.”

Their partnership with the committee helped solidify Christmas at Crystal Springs as more than just a light display. It became a celebration of the season, the community, and the story at the heart of Christmas.
 

Year Four: A Local Christmas Classic

By year four, the display stretched nearly two miles around the Crystal Springs lake and campground. What began as a small experiment transformed into a full community production — months of planning, fundraising, and volunteer hours culminating in a breathtaking December tradition.

Carriage rides were added. The nativity grew. Lines of glowing displays — each designed by local individuals, families, businesses, and churches — wrapped around the water and down the main pathway. The park was busy every night, with headlights forming a steady stream all December long.

“It’s so wonderful to see this grow into what it has,” Schmidt said. “Seeing so many people involved… it’s humbling.”
 

Year Five: A Dream Fully Realized — And Still Growing

Now, in Year Five, Christmas at Crystal Springs is bigger, brighter, and more beloved than ever.

What started as a handful of lights and a “why not here?” conversation has grown into one of Fairbury’s favorite holiday traditions — a community-built celebration fueled entirely by volunteers, families, churches, businesses, and donors who believe in making something beautiful for everyone to enjoy.

Each display, each hour of work, each monetary gift has helped take the event to a new level. And with every December that passes, the mission remains the same:

To keep growing. To keep adding.
To keep making Christmas at Crystal Springs more magical than the year before.

And thanks to this community, that mission is alive and well.