Its A Festive Light Show Outside. Inside, Farmstead Staff Prepares Animals For Winter

Dinah Rose's farm is quiet outside the gate, but the Christmas lights on Farmstead Lane dazzle the sky every night.

It's the 10th anniversary of the Christmas light show, which runs through January 8 from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Although the casino itself is closed, visitors are treated to a free show with music in front of the rides. Park in the parking lot and tune in to 90.5 Rose FM to listen to your favorite holiday songs and soundtracks while watching the moving light show.

"Bring some chocolate, cookies and a blanket while you watch the lights and listen to music from the warmth of your car," says Meg Ralph, Overland Park's director of media relations and communications.

Farmstead Lane's unique LED panel was designed by Overland Park resident Mark Kallegari. His work, visible outside the Downtown Kansas City Marriott, was once the largest LED screen in the United States and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

"Mark is more than just a volunteer or donor, he is an amazing Overland Park resident with a passion for technology, lighting, entertainment and parties," said Ralph. “Mark and his team of volunteers…spent a lot of time creating, maintaining and renovating this unique property. We are very grateful to them for that."

Preparatory work and demo tests took place in mid-October. Together, the team worked closely with city technicians to install the displays for early Thanksgiving night lighting.

According to Ralph, this beloved Christmas tradition is complicated enough as it is.

“Each LED pixel has precise position and timing, is individually controlled by software, and can have one of 16 million possible colors. The Farmstead Voice Repository is the largest canvas for this application. It is 140 feet wide and 40 feet high, with tens of thousands of pixels,” says Raf.

"This huge display gives Holiday Lights of Farmstead Lane a unique opportunity to have a 'show' more like a car show than other holiday displays using garlands."

Although the estate is closed to the public, there is still plenty of life during the winter months.

“In many ways, Vegetable is like a real Kansas frontier farm, so a variety of animals—cows, horses, sheep, goats, birds, etc.—live on the farm year-round,” says Ralph.

Many animals tolerate winter weather well, but have access to fences and sheds to keep them safe.

Some local farm animals return to their owners at the end of the season, only to return to their "second home" in the spring.

In low season there are promotions with animals on the farm.

"The most interesting thing that happens every winter is the grazing goats," says Ralph. "Usually at or just before this time of year, the goats are inseminated and spend the winter raising kids. At the end of the winter, they will move to the dairy farm, which will become a goat farm."

The staff "croma" or help to give birth to up to 80 goats.

"Baby, when Farmstead reopens on April 1, we'll have our own goats that can be bottle-fed to families," she said.

In the meantime, the staff carry out maintenance and repair work, which is impossible during the high season. And the Farmstead team spends their time planning for the upcoming season, working with individuals and community organizations to plan events.

Expect a big addition to the farm when it opens in April: a new horse depot. Construction will begin in the spring of 2023.

"This new building will replace the existing stable where the horse-drawn carriages used to start and end," Ralph said. "This new building will be the starting point for these trips in the future, as well as educational exhibits and hands-on activities related to horses and their use in agriculture."

Ralph said the city is hiring for the 2023 season.

"We will be opening positions at many attractions, pet sitting, front desk and back of house," he said. "It's a fun job with job opportunities spring through fall and guaranteed time with the goats."

Those interested in applying can do so at recruiting.opkansas.org.