WESTERN MASS. – From Bright Nights’ holiday cheer to the opulence of the City of Bright Nights Ball, local nonprofit Spirit of Springfield is excited to be returning to semi-normal operations.

After a year dominated by the pandemic, President of Spirit of Springfield Judy Matt discussed the organization’s efforts to reignite their traditioned events. “Everybody wants to do something this year,” said Matt. So far, Spirit of Springfield was able to successfully continue the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast, the Star-Spangled Springfield 4th of July fireworks display and the Sept. 11 Memorial Ceremony, despite some limitations.

To kick off the holiday season, the organization hosted their annual City of Bright Nights Ball on Nov. 13. The glamorous event celebrated its rebirth with the “Cherry Blossoms Under the Moonlight” theme. “We wanted to make it something new and fresh, we were originally going to do it last year before the pandemic,” said Matt.

Decorated with luxurious decor and hosting a who’s who of notable politicians and business leaders, Matt discussed the event’s significance as their core fundraiser for the year. According to Matt, Spirit of Springfield reached out to community organizations to participate in the ball’s silent auction, with Matt revealing that groups were “very generous” with their contributions to the auction this year.

The event most synonymous with Spirit of Springfield’s communal brand is Bright Nights, which experienced one of the largest turnouts in the event’s history last year. “We were grateful that we were able to open, but we were not able to open the gift shop, the concession area or the wagon rides,” said Matt. For this year, Matt shared that each facet will be reincorporated, with the concession area expanding from its offering of seasonal snacks to meals for patrons to purchase.

For all their events, Matt stressed the importance of making participation inclusive for all to celebrate. With Bright Nights, Spirit of Springfield will be offering two Ten Dollar Tuesdays and frontline workers night, along with reduced tickets through a partnership with Big Y. The organization also donates a plethora of free tickets to community groups, according to Matt. “It’s important to us that people who want to go can go,” said Matt. Bright Nights will run from Nov. 24 to Jan. 2.

Alongside the festive lights of Bright Nights, Spirit of Springfield is hosting several events that tie-in with the community staple. Matt said The Bright Nights 5K Road Race, Supper with Santa and wagon rides are all already sold-out for the season.

The Spirit of Springfield will also be hosting a free Holiday Concert on Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. Taking place at Symphony Hall, Matt said the concert will feature sounds of the holiday and patriotism by the 215th Army Band of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. “People love going into Symphony Hall,” said Matt, who shared her experiences hearing thunderous applause at the concert’s hall reopening event earlier this year. Matt is expecting around 1,500 patrons to attend the event, with interested readers able to obtain tickets by mailing Spirit of Springfield or inquiring about them at Big Y.

The only marquee event Spirit of Springfield was not able to continue this holiday season is the Parade of Big Balloons. Along with concerns about COVID-19, Matt said the cancellation was due to struggles gathering marching bands and dancing groups to participate. “We were facing a lot of adversity,” said Matt, who also referenced the increased cost of helium for the larger-than-life balloons. She shared that the organization will be discussing ways to incorporate an abbreviated version of the parade at some point over the holiday.

“We’re happy to continue our mission of bringing people together in celebration,” said Matt.

Readers can learn more about Spirit of Springfield’s holiday events by visiting their website https://www.spiritofspringfield.org/.