NIU Student's Display Of 80K Holiday Lights Benefits Charities

NAPERVILLE, IL — Matt Baker, 19, plans for Christmas 10 months in advance. The NIU student and Metea Valley High School alum is the mastermind behind Manchester Lights, a dazzling spectacle of more than 80,000 lights and holiday tunes that has taken over a small cul-de-sac in Naperville's Brookdale subdivision since 2012.

The display, which helps raise money for Naperville-based organizations Corey's Goal and Alive Center, got its start in 2011 when Matt, who tells Patch he's always had a passion for lights and music, was just 11. Baker told Patch he started a small show at his house on the corner and then it expanded to include more of the cul-de-sac a year later.

Baker says they start programming the show and adding new elements about 10 months ahead of Christmas. Setup starts in October and continues every weekend until Thanksgiving, when Manchester Lights makes its annual debut.

Last year, Baker said more than 40,000 people came out to see the lights display and make donations to the two charities. He said the most touching thing he's seen at Manchester Lights is when a man proposed to his girlfriend in front of the lights display.

Baker said it was then that he "realized the show would not only be a very important place for me, but for others as well."

The significance of the show goes much deeper than its heartwarming array of holiday cheer and twinkling lights. Matt said he chose Corey's Goal and Alive Center to benefit from donations as both causes were near and dear to his heart.

Corey's Goal benefits Corey Patrick Walgren, who took his own life in 2017 and was a friend of Matt's brother. Matt said he chose Alive Center because "it is a great place for teens and I feel they do a good job at relieving the unnecessary pressure that many teens are faced with inside our high schools."

If you want to catch the Manchester Lights display, head to Manchester Court and Foxhill Road in the Brookdale neighborhood of Naperville by Jan. 1 and be sure to take some photos!

In the meantime, check out this video from the 2016 Manchester Lights display.