New Tariffs Hit Bentleyville Hard As They Prepare For Tour Of Lights Festival

It is always amazing to me how Bentleyville goes on with out a hitch each and every year (well I am sure their are plenty of hitches, but we never would know.) This beautiful display that draws people from all over the world. Preparations at Bayfront are already under way with crews setting up decorations, putting displays together and the famous christmas tree went up this past weekend.

This year the Bentleyville team budgeted tens of thousands of dollars for extra security measure after the vandalism and stolen items from festival grounds during last season. Executive Director Nathan Bentley said “Costs this year to bring in displays have risen significantly with changes from the federal government on importing products to the United States, so that’s just one more added cost to put into Bentleyville.”

This year alone Bentleyville had to pay $25,000 in Tariff costs alone and they were not expecting the costs to be that high. That won't stop Bentleyville from freshening up the displays though.This year the christmas tree will have 150,000 brand new LED lights and is completely renovated, plus design changes to the pavilion, expansion of the circus called “Santa’s Big Show,” and a new aquarium display.

Community donations are a huge part of fundraising for Bentleyville every year and if you would like to help,donation boxes can be found on the festival grounds.Bentleyville runs from November 23rd-December 28th. For more on this story click here.