Price Electric’s electrical service team was honored to do an electrical project to light up the grounds of the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines with the Wild Lights Festival! The zoo needed a lot of extra power for the lanterns and gorgeous illuminated animal light displays. Price Electric installed extra power distribution units, having to co-ordinate with the “live” zoo animals and their caretakers. Attendants enjoyed this stunning festival of over 35 larger-than-life illuminated animal shaped Asian lanterns designed and fabricated by artisans. “This amazing festival is designed to wow you, and it’s unlike anything that has been in Iowa before,” Blank Park Zoo President and CEO Anne Shimerdia said in a news release.

The event was inspired by traditional Chinese lantern festivals (which date back thousands of years to the Han Dynasty and are believed to have originated with Buddhist Monks) but it has a modern twist. It combines Asian culture, wildlife conservation, and the latest technology.

Blank Park Zoo is a 49-acre zoological park on the south side of Des Moines. It first opened in 1966 and is one of the state’s most popular attractions for families. More than 400,000 people visit the zoo in a typical year.