Haypress Falls opens later than usual on Dec. 8

By Editor | December 7, 2023 |

Christmas at Haypress Falls will open this weekend on Saturday, Dec. 8, and Sunday, Dec. 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (Carmen Ensinger/Greene Prairie Press)

By Carmen Ensinger

There is an old saying – better late than never and that is certainly the case with the later than usually opening of Christmas at Haypress Falls.
The massive Christmas Light Display at the home of Denny and Sherry Vetter in rural Haypress, which usually opens around the first of December, will be opening this coming Saturday, Dec. 8 and will have Santa on hand to welcome the first visitors of the season.
When asked why the late opening this year, Vetter said there were several reasons.
“First of all, I’m not a spring chicken anymore,” Vetter said with a big smile. “I’m in my mid 80’s now. Plus, its hard to find help these days. The help I do have – they also help with the food pantry at North Greene, so they aren’t available a couple days a week because they make a trip to Peoria to pick up the supplies and then help to distribute it.”
But, there is an upside, there are also more lights this year, thanks to a generous donation of lights from a local business.
“You remember the light display that Garner Tire always had on your way to Eldred every year,” Vetter asked. “Well, when the owner died, his wife donated all those lights to us so we have all those added this year.”
When asked just how many lights he does have, Vetter couldn’t even hazard a guess.
“Probably well into the hundreds of thousands by now,” Vetter said. “Every year, we have people donate lights and different displays to us. The huge wreath we have on the metal building, that is also a recent donation as well.”
Vetter started Haypress Falls back in 2005 by building a 190-foot waterfall that dropped 30 foot north of Apple Creek.
It starts at the top with water falling over three large limestone rocks stacked on top of each other, down through a trough over a water wheel through another trough into a satellite dish pool with a 10-foot windmill on top, down another trough into a large pool of water.
From here it goes under a walk-over bridge with an arch with an eagle mounted on top. The water continues up through an old yard pump and down through a pipe cascading over rocks into another satellite pool where it continues over more rocks with water squirting up into the air along the way, finally ending up at the bottom into a nine-foot watering tank with gold fish, on top of which are mounted two more satellite dishes with water falling from them. On top of them is mounted a six-foot lighthouse.
Vetter loved seeing people come out and go through his waterfall in the spring and summer, but the traffic always died down in the winter.
Then, in 2008, the idea hit him to decorate the entire area for the holidays and invite everyone out to see the beautiful light display.
“We always went to Chicago for the holidays, but that hear we decided to stay home and I decided to decorate the place for Christmas,” Vetter said. “We weren’t exactly on the main drag or anything, but I thought people might enjoy coming out and looking at the lights.”
And they did. He continued the tradition and year after year more and more people made the trek out to Haypress Falls to see the light display.
Haypress Falls is totally free and always has been, though now Vetter does have a donation box where a donations can be made.
“People used to ask if there was a charge to come out and drive through and there isn’t,” Vetter said. “At first, we didn’t even have the donation box, but then someone said, ‘you know, you should have a donation box and collect donations for a charity because I’m sure people would be more than willing to donate.”
They were right. Last year, Vetter collected around $4,000, all of which went to the Boyd Hospital Gas Cards for Cancer Patients program. Over the years he has had the donation box out, he has collected over $20,000 for the Gas Cards program. All donations go towards the program.
An added attraction to Haypress Falls several years ago was the addition of Nolan’s Petting Zoo. Owner Ed Nolan keeps his zoo animals at Haypress Falls and therefore, while driving through the falls, one can also stop and visit with the animals and, up until this year, stop and have their picture taken with a real, live reindeer.
However, Prancer, the 25-year-old reindeer, passed away earlier this year.
“There will still be a photo opportunity with the sleigh,” Vetter said. “We have a surprise in store, but we aren’t revealing that. We do have Santa stopping in on our opening day on Saturday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 9, beginning at 5 p.m. until we close at 10:30.”
Vetter wants to thank Ed Nolan, Kosta Camden and Shirley Nolen for all the help with the animals during the holiday season.
“The children love to stop in and see the animals after they go around and see the lights,” Vetter said. “The addition of Nolan’s Petting Zoo here has been a great addition to Haypress Falls.”
To get to Haypress Falls, follow the Hillview Blacktop until you see the nice big sign recently erected advertising Haypress Falls, which can’t be missed.