The magic maker

For Scott Campbell of Rhinelander, the holiday season never really ends. As the de facto lead designer/builder of the festive light displays that illuminate Hodag Park every December, and a core member of the hearty team of volunteers that installs and removes the pieces every year, a substantial portion of Campbell’s year is spent working on something related to Rhinelander’s most popular holiday attraction, the Lights of the Northwoods.

In his spare time, Campbell also delivers donations from local grocery stores to the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry and is a longtime member of the Rhinelander Lions Club.

The carousel was one 24 displays hand-crafted by Scott Campbell for last month’s Lights of the Northwoods event in Hodag Park. Campbell was honored last week with a Jefferson Award for volunteer service.
(Photo by Bob Mainhardt for the River News)

On Friday, Jan. 12, thanks to his colleagues’ determination to recognize his unique skills and community spirit, Campbell was the one in the spotlight as he received a Jefferson Award for volunteer service.

The local Jefferson Awards are distributed through a partnership between WAOW-News 9 and Marshfield Clinic. An award winner is chosen every month with all the honorees gathering together each November for a banquet. 

According to the WAOW website, at the banquet a panel of judges honors one of the local winners as “the overall local winner for the year.” That individual then travels to Washington D.C. to represent this area at the National Jefferson Awards where a national winner is chosen.

 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Sen. Robert Taft Jr. and social entrepreneur Sam Beard founded the Jefferson Awards in 1972 to recognize public and community service that reflects the Jeffersonian ideals of citizen involvement, according to the organization’s website.

Modest by nature, Campbell had to be convinced that he was worthy of such an award. 

Several times during last Friday’s brief ceremony at the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry, he stressed that the Lights of the Northwoods is very much a group effort.

“It’s a team,” he repeated over and over again.

His friends with the Lights of the Northwoods, Bill Freudenberg and Don Hoppe, who nominated Campbell for the Jefferson Award, were on hand to watch their friend accept the honor.

“Scott’s compassion and his willingness to give back to the community is just unbelievable,” Freudenberg said. “Scott’s such a giving individual. He’s down at the park almost every day. His dedication to this community is just, words can’t say enough and I’m just really proud of him to receive this award.”

For his part, Campbell said the hours spent making displays for the Lights of Northwoods — he was responsible for 24 of the installations on display in the park last month, including the Hodag Nutcracker and the carousel — are more than worth it. 

“Most of the joy just comes from the reaction of the people, when they come around the corner and they’re in the car and you hear them go ‘wow’ or the smiles on the kids’ faces,” he said. “That’s it. That’s the satisfaction.”

“We’re blessed and we need to pass that on and share that blessing with others and help those who are down on their luck or have different needs that can’t be met otherwise,” he added. “It’s a personal satisfaction you just get from helping others that makes it all more worthwhile. Even though sometimes it can be a pain, it’s worthwhile.”

According to Linda Campbell, Scott’s wife and partner in volunteering, he is able to craft the elaborate displays despite not having any particular training. 

“He’s just one of those guys who can do things,” she explained.

Clearly a proud wife, she also noted her husband likes to joke that he should change his address to Hodag Park “because that’s where he’s at.”

“He already has three pieces done for next year,” she added, noting that her husband works on pieces throughout the entire year, only taking a brief break in the summer when the couple’s grandchildren visit from out-of-state.

The Campbells said they began their association with Lights of the Northwoods by helping with traffic control during the event’s first year. They couldn’t help but want to do more. 

“Both Linda and I, we said this looks like it’s fun and I like doing things that are fun,” Scott said.

Make no mistake, it’s also a lot of work.

Setup begins on Oct. 1 and takes about eight weeks to complete. The display is open to the public every evening during the month of December, culminating with a fireworks display on Jan. 1. 

“Then we begin the process of taking everything down,” Scott Campbell said, noting that the display covers approximately 25 acres and requires over four miles of cords. 

“Take down” takes roughly three weeks and then it’s time to check over all of the pieces and determine if anything needs to be fixed. 

And then the cycle begins anew, as Campbell starts working on new installations for the next season.

In fact, after the award ceremony on Friday, Campbell and other Lights of the Northwoods volunteers took time to brainstorm with Courtney Smith, associate executive director of the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry, and other food pantry volunteers regarding the design for a display to be sponsored by the pantry. 

It’s fitting that there will be a food pantry-related piece included in the menagerie of lighted displays, as all food and monetary donations collected over the course of the month-long event go to food pantries in Rhinelander, Tomahawk and Elcho as part of the organization’s mission of “feeding the Northwoods.”

Perhaps the best thing about the Lights of the Northwoods is the sense of wonder it evokes in those who take the time to walk or drive through the park. After seven years, even the core group of volunteers are awed when the switch is flipped.

“When the lights get turned on, it’s like wow,” Linda Campbell said.

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].