ALLENTOWN, Pa. — They arrived dressed for the holiday season — and for the selfies.
Christmas sweaters stretched across furry, doodled chests, reindeer antlers bobbed on floppy beagled ears, and bright red bows bounced with every wag.
Under a bright sky — lit by a glowing waxing gibbous moon — families at Coca-Cola Park weren’t interested in exchanging phone numbers for playdates.
The pet-friendly Lights & Leashes night will make its return to Illuminations at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 17 and Dec. 30.Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Instead, they traded stories about breeds and ages as the dogs of all sizes trotted through the dugout and past the glowing holiday displays.
It all was part of Lights & Leashes, the dog-friendly theme night at the winter attraction Illumination.
On Wednesday, Illumination, now in its second year, drew dozens of excitable pups tugging their humans through tunnels of 1.5 million twinkling lights.
The pet-friendly night will make its return from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 17 and Dec. 30.
A record number of dogs
Even the Grinch couldn’t ruin the holiday magic— although several pooches gave the cantankerous mascot a thorough sniff-down, as any good dog would do.
Lights & Leashes, organized by Lehigh Valley IronPigs, held its opening night on Nov. 16 and has become a popular themed night as families enjoy the new perks at the holiday attraction.
Those additions include curling lanes, fire pits for s'mores, rentable igloos, carousel rides, hayrides with Mrs. Claus, photo ops with Santa Claus, Elsa from "Frozen" and Cousin Eddie from "National Lampoon's Vacation" series.
Additionally, there is a Polar Express train ride around the field and Santa's Workshop, where kids of all ages can write letters to Saint Nick.
Though slightly less crowded on Wednesday, Illumination’s first Lights & Leashes night on Nov. 16 drew a record number of 700 attendees, according to Sam Jellinek, the IronPigs' manager of broadcasting and media relations.
Jellinek said organizers estimate 25-50 dogs typically show up at the Lights & Leashes nights — though counting wiggly pups is “an inexact science."
Howling at the moon
On Wednesday, a golden retriever named Benny trotted through the glowing pathways, his tail wagging to sync with Christmas tunes such as “Jingle Bell Rock" and "The First Noel."
His owners paused to take a photo under the twinkling arches constructed on the baseball field.
"This is much better than walking around the neighborhood," Dina Schott of Northampton said.
"And he gets to socialize more with the other dogs."
Upstairs, at the concession stands, some pups appeared to lift their heads to “howl at the moon," (or was it the Grinch?) as people laughed.
A younger husky-mix nudged a couple of mini-doodles to join in song.
"She usually only barks when the mail person comes to the door," Mike Alvarez of Whitehall Township said of his 2-year-old pup, Luna.
"I think this is nice for Christmas and to see something new. Maybe not the lights so much for [his 2-year-old pup Luna], but to walk around the park."Mike Alvarez of Whitehall Township
"I think this is nice for Christmas and to see something new. Maybe not the lights so much for [Luna], but to walk around the park."
Earlier, Alvarez and his wife, their 2-year-old daughter and Luna gathered near the park's entrance at one of the fire pit stations to warm up.
Another pet owner stopped to pick up a chihuahua from its dog stroller while a group of friends, sans their four-legged pals, whipped out their phones to capture the fake — but beautiful — snow that began to fall.
"Better than real snow, so we don't have to drive home that way," Alvarez said.
More themed nights
Illuminations' other themed nights continue throughout December.
There will be Santa Night with a Santa Hat Giveaway on Friday, Dec. 5, and the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Visit on Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7.
A full schedule of promotions and activities is available atilluminationlv.com.
