Children’s Wonderland, a Christmas tradition in Lucas County, has opened its doors for the 42nd time.

The event is held at the Lucas County Recreation Center and is host to many activities aimed at local families. Kids can get their picture taken with Santa and take a ride on a mini-train called the “Wonderland Express.”

Laura Nowak-Glover, consultant to Children’s Wonderland, said the annual event is an essential family tradition for the community.

“I think Children’s Wonderland is important for this area because it has been here for 42 years and it seems like a lot of things in Toledo and the surrounding area die out fast,” she said. “That’s why I try to make sure people grasp this every year. Children’s Wonderland is the only thing like it in the area.”

Children’s Wonderland is also home to over 30 animated displays, which all tell different holiday related stories. Organizers hope the colorful displays of Christmas carolers and reindeer will appeal to all age groups.

The doors of Children’s Wonderland opened on Nov. 25 and will close on Dec. 31. The month-long holiday celebration might be over at the end of the year, but the preparation for next year’s Children’s Wonderland isn’t far from sight.

The planning for this year’s Children’s Wonderland began in March, and this year will be no exception.

Although the main sponsor of Children’s Wonderland has been the Lucas County Board of Commissioners since its beginning, the organizers of the event still search for new sponsors each year.

The first phase of planning for the event involves making calls to companies to search for sponsorship. After sponsorship is secured, design and construction of the animated displays begins.

“We build it from the ground-up,” Nowak-Glover said. “We started on the 15th of October to set up. It’s absolutely amazing to see the amount of work that has gone into this, and to work with the people who have done it for years.”

Taking on such an enormous task can be daunting for the crew of Children’s Wonderland, and things don’t always go as expected.

“This year, we’ve come into a lot of road blocks,” Nowak-Glover said. “The stars are not lining up as perfectly as normal. We haven’t had enough employees this year. We’ve had a tough time with set-up, due to that. That was our first hurdle.”

Nowak-Glover said they’ve now passed the hurdles, and everything is running smoothly. The importance of the event seems to override any minor problems, because the community keeps on coming back, year after year.

Tradition has been important in patrons returning to Children’s Wonderland throughout its 42-year span. One of Nowak-Glover’s main goals is to keep that tradition alive for future generations.

“We really need to start grasping this and keeping this tradition alive,” Nowak-Glover said. “A lot of children don’t get a chance to go on field trips. We’re able to help them have a nice tradition and celebrate Christmas in this way and that’s pretty much what it’s all about.”

Part of the tradition of Children’s Wonderland involves its location.

The Lucas County Recreation Center has held the event for 41 out of its 42 years. The year Children’s Wonderland wasn’t at the recreation center was an unsuccessful attempt to bring the activities into the downtown area.

The unneeded change of location broke away from tradition, which is something the staff and patrons didn’t care for.

“It’s a good aura for everyone, to come in here and be child-like and in the holiday spirit,” Nowak-Glover said of the Lucas County Recreation Center. “It’s stayed alive because of the nostalgia.”