"They're in competition with one another, so they're always trying to outdo one another," Nancy Coalter told UpNorthLive in December 2023. She is one of the founders of Sparkle in the Park. "That makes it really fun. Once we start that spark, it has really evolved into, you know, just a wonderful display."
That competition takes place at a campground. Hopkins Park stopped taking reservations on October 20, the last day of its April-to-October season. The Bear Lake Promoters' 2026 calendar has Sparkle in the Park opening November 28. That leaves about five weeks for the waterfront on Lake Street to change from RV pads into lights. During those same weeks, MDOT is finishing a rebuild of US-31, the road most people take to get there. The quiet season at Hopkins Park is the busiest stretch on the village calendar.
One Lakefront, Two Uses
In summer, the Village of Bear Lake runs Hopkins Park as a family RV park at 7727 Lake Street. It has 31 campsites right on Bear Lake, a dock and boat launch, a fishing pier, a playground, a swim area and a picnic pavilion. In July and on holiday weekends, the village prefers three-night minimum stays because demand is high.
In winter, the same ground becomes the stage for a light display the village has run since 2004. The village's events page describes campground sites decorated in holiday themes and more than 100,000 lights. You can drive through or take a carriage ride between 5 and 10 p.m. The displays aren't limited to the park anymore. UpNorthLive reported in 2023 that businesses, families and community members set up nearly 50 displays at Hopkins Park, and that since the first year, the displays have spread into the village. The Promoters' own 2026 listing gives the location as "Hopkins Park & around Town."
The 2026 season will be the display's 22nd. UpNorthLive marked the 20th annual event in December 2024. Entry is free, and donations are accepted.
The Group Behind It Meets at Grille 44
The Bear Lake Promoters organize Sparkle in the Park. The group has been promoting the village since 1985, and annual dues are $35. Members meet at 8 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Grille 44, 12951 Pleasanton Hwy. In practice, a breakfast meeting there plans each light season.
The Promoters' list of past projects shows how closely the group is tied to the places Sparkle uses. They enclosed the pavilion at Hopkins Park. They built the deck on Main Street that holds the Bear Lake Cares box, where neighbors leave food and personal care items under the motto "Give what you can take what you need," along with the free book exchange. Community donations, together with money from the Promoters and the Bear Lake Triginta Club, recently paid to refinish the "Beautiful Bear Lake" signs and refurbish the clock tower on that deck. The group also works with the Bear Lake Area Historical Museum.
Sparkle is one of several events on the Promoters' calendar. Their other events:
- Christmas Community Lighting
- The Community Yard Sale, held the third weekend in August for 39 years
- Bear Lake Days and Fireworks
- Fall Fest
- Trunk or Treat
The 2026 schedule lists Promoters meetings at Grille 44 on November 3 and December 1. Those two Tuesdays fall just before the lights go up and in the middle of the season. The group says new volunteers are always needed.
The Corridor to the Lights Is Being Rebuilt
The Michigan Department of Transportation began a $5.5 million rebuild of US-31 between Maidens Road and Norconk Road on July 13. MDOT's bid results show the contract went to Elmer's Crane and Dozer, Inc. for $5,489,135.31 to cover 5.39 miles.
Once the work is done, the biggest change for anyone on foot will be the sidewalks. MDOT's scope includes:
- Replacing the existing sidewalks along the corridor
- Building downtown bump-outs to shorten pedestrian crossings and mark off parking
- A new sidewalk on the west side of US-31 from Bear Lake Market to Potter Road
- A new sidewalk on the east side from Cody Street to Hopkins Drive
Sparkle has always been free to walk or drive through. This is the first season the east side of the highway will have a sidewalk running to Hopkins Drive.
The finish date has two estimates. The village's project notice puts substantial completion at October 30. MDOT's release gives an estimated end date of Friday, November 13. Both are estimates, and both fall before the lights go on. Until the crews leave, MDOT says to expect lane closures with traffic regulators and shifted lanes. The village notes that pedestrians may run into occasional sidewalk closures or short detours.
Halloween Comes First
Before Sparkle opens, the Promoters have another event in town. Trunk or Treat starts Saturday, October 31, at 5 p.m. and runs until 7:30 p.m. in the Bear Lake Community Church parking lot at Main Street and Smith Street. The village says the event has averaged more than 650 trick-or-treaters a year since it began in 2008. Local businesses and families hand out candy, and past years have had a popcorn station, a cotton candy machine, and cider and donuts.
This year, Trunk or Treat lands the day after the village's estimated completion date for US-31 and two weeks before MDOT's. For anyone driving in from out along US-31, that probably means watching for shifted lanes on Halloween evening, depending on where crews are working that week.
The Calendar From Here to January
Portage Lake Association events in Onekama fill the weekend before Thanksgiving, so the Manistee County holiday calendar starts before Sparkle does.
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31, 5 to 7:30 p.m. | Trunk or Treat | Bear Lake Community Church lot, Main St. and Smith St. |
| Tue., Nov. 3, 8 a.m. | Bear Lake Promoters meeting | Grille 44 |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | MDOT's estimated end date for US-31 work | Maidens Rd. to Norconk Rd. |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 21–22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Christmas in Onekama Artisans Market | Onekama High School |
| Nov. 22 per the event page | Celebration of Lights | Farr Center, Onekama |
| Sat., Nov. 28, through Thu., Dec. 31 | Sparkle in the Park, 5 to 10 p.m. | Hopkins Park and around town |
| Tue., Dec. 1, 8 a.m. | Bear Lake Promoters meeting | Grille 44 |
The Christmas in Onekama market has gifts from local artisans, chili and cookie contests you can taste and vote on, and visits with Santa and the Grinch. The Portage Lake Association sponsors it. On the Association's detailed page, the Celebration of Lights is listed for Sunday, November 22, with a social hour inside the Farr Center at 5 p.m. and the tree lighting and reading of names outside at 6 p.m. Donation envelopes for tree lights are available at the Onekama Post Office and the Onekama Library. The Association's homepage lists the lighting for Saturday, November 21, at 5 p.m., so check with the organizers before you go.
Sparkle's opening night has a similar discrepancy. The Promoters' 2026 listing gives November 28 through December 31. The village's general event description says the display opens on Thanksgiving Day, which is November 26 this year, and closes January 1. The Sparkle in the Park Facebook page is the easiest place to check opening night once the displays are up. When you go, bring cash for the donation box, since donations pay for keeping the lights up.
If you'd like breakfast in town before a Promoters meeting, the group's business roster includes Grille 44, Lakeside Cafe at 7833 Lake St. and Rosie's Place at 9567 Chippewa Hwy. Bear Lake Market at 11740 Chippewa Hwy sits where the new west-side sidewalk begins.
For more about this part of the county, our Manistee County lakes and properties page covers Bear Lake, Portage Lake and the nearby shorelines. Our River Street post covers what's open in downtown Manistee.
At The Jon Zickert Group, we follow the small-village calendars across Benzie and Manistee counties, including the volunteer groups that keep them going. If you have a place on Bear Lake or Portage Lake and want to know how the season ahead could affect your plans, or what a lakefront property here looks like to buyers in winter, we're glad to talk it through. Schedule A Consultation whenever it suits you.
