Dorri Partain 
Managing Editor 

A popular holiday drive-thru event, which called Cliff Drive home for the past two years, announced a new location when it reopens in November.

Winter Magic —  a glowing, blinking and twinkling light extravaganza produced by Jolt Lighting — sought a relocation following various issues in Kessler Park. With the guidance of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation department, this event has selected Platte Purchase Park (10400 North Platte Purchase Dr). This location allows Winter Magic to consolidate with its second location, which had operated in Bonner Springs, Ks.

While Cliff Drive initially seemed the perfect location — with its winding roads closed to regular vehicle traffic — Jolt Lighting President Aaron O’Dell stated the reason to relocate was twofold.

“We certainly had a rough time protecting our investment (equipment) in Kessler Park as we were sort of sitting ducks, but more than that — our data showed that our clients mostly live in the northland,” said O’Dell. “It will be important for us to be near them as we attempt to get more weekday traffic, which we truly need to be able to thrive.”  

One highlight for Northeasters was when Winter Magic offered free entrance — a preview on opening night— before others had the opportunity to view the display.  The regular entrance fee was $25 per car.

For those who waited in line for their turn to drive through, the crowds were not what O’Dell had expected.

 “We had actually hoped to see a lot more from the immediate neighborhoods for that event, but we actually only saw about 200 cars that (opening) night… or the remainder of the season from the most immediate zip codes,” O’Dell said.  “After we began collecting data (first year at Cliff Dr), we realized that downtown KC wasn’t the ideal location for our event and so we went back to KC Parks to see if other options existed.  We found Platte Purchase Park.  We will, of course, collect more data again this year to try to understand if it was a good move or not.  It’s an educated guess, but still somewhat a guess. Time will tell.”  

Winter Magic was born during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, according to O’Dell.   His company, Jolt Lighting, produces custom displays for commercial businesses, but with no shoppers or visitors, there was little to no need for their services. He pitched his idea to the parks department and this event initially operated in Swope Park for two years. It proved popular enough that it created traffic issues for those just driving past the park entrance as Winter Magic patrons snaked outside waiting their turn to enter. Those issues led to the selection of Cliff Drive, where patrons would wait on the drive with no issues of affecting regular traffic.

O’Dell also partnered with local businesses —  PH Coffee offered hot chocolate and other treats on certain nights — and Northeast News garnered two awards from the Missouri Press Advertising and Marketing Executives for our promotion of Winter Magic in 2022 and 2023.

“I really appreciate you (Northeast News) and the community and the support that we have received the last 2 seasons” O’Dell stated when he shared news of this year’s new location. 

Winter Magic at Platte Purchase Park will open Friday, Nov. 1 and will run through Sunday, Jan. 5. Tickets are available online at wintermagickc.com.