PHOTOS by Bluffton Icon / CLICK to enlarge and view at your own pace

By Paula Pyzik Scott

Some three inches of snow blanketed the 2025 Blaze of Lights. This was the 39th year for the Bluffton event, with parade coordinator Junior Weihrauch estimating that the last Blaze to have weather of this kind was in the early 2000s. While road conditions, temperatures and wind on November 29 impacted attendance and some planned features, the steady snowfall gave Main St. a playground atmosphere. Attendees brought warm smiles and warmer clothing to the event.

Parade announcer and Town Crier Kevin Gratz wore a black coat that was a good gauge of how much snow was falling. He came prepared with plastic-coated notes, ready to battle the wind and brush off the snow. This year, Gratz was assisted by his daughter Kara Zink, who helped him identify parade entries. The dynamic duo also closed the Blaze Stage presentation with the singing of Christmas carols.

The parade opened with a Bluffton Police Department cruiser, a Bluffton American Legion Post 382 color guard, and then the Bluffton High School Marching Band. Local Boy Scouts carries the Blaze parade banner. Float entries included many local businesses and organizations. Only one vehicle was seen being pushed along the mirror-like surface created by vehicle tires.

Gratz introduced the parade's grand marshal and the Blaze "switch hitter," Dwain Leiber, and asked the audience, "Did you have your car serviced at Leiber's Garage?" Leiber is a 1957 Bluffton High School graduate who opened Leiber Garage in 1969. See Fred Steiner's bio of Leiber at His wheels started turning long before you can imagine, which includes photos of Leiber in his racing days.

With the crowd joining Gratz in a count-down, Leiber flipped the switch to illuminate the Bluffton Presbyterian Church yard full of the Ream folk art Christmas display and thousands of lights on the towering evergreens. All looked especially merry and bright with a fresh, white covering of snow. The display will be illuminated every night through January 1.

Many downtown businesses stayed open to provide onlookers with warmth, food, drinks, shopping and places to hang out with family and friends. There were also sidewalk sales and Vine St. vendors, including a heated tent and fire pits.

The event is coordinated by the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce, under the direction of Jim Enneking, who was philosophical about the challenges of the weather. The Hope Express kiddie train rides sponsored by Ebenezer Mennonite Church salted the northern block of downtown Main St. and Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted children from the shelter of a little red house in a nearby alleyway.

In hindsight, the 2025 Blaze of Lights had more than the usual number of hiccups thanks to Mother Nature, but it may also be one of the most memorable in the event's long history.

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