About 3,500 candles will light Minnetrista's gardens and grounds during its 10th Annual Enchanted Luminaria Walk from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today and Saturday.
Ball State University's Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority, who helped prepare the luminaries using milk jugs filled with sand, will light the candles and keep them ablaze during the event. Both organizations say participating in the walk bridges the gap between the Ball State and Muncie communities.
"Minnetrista is an important, large part of the community, and Ball State students getting involved with Minnetrista is very important," senior Michael Dunagan, Luminary Committee chairman for Phi Gamma Delta, said. "If we can get together, we can help bring the community closer."
Junior Lauren Vandeveer, community service director for Alpha Phi, said Dunagan contacted the sorority and asked them to get involved.
"We thought it would be a great way to help out with the community, and hopefully if all goes successfully this year, we will continue to do this for years to come," Vandeveer said.
The walk at Minnetrista will feature several activities, including free tours of the E.B. Ball, G.A. Ball and L.L. Ball homes, as well as carriage rides down Minnetrista Boulevard for $3 per person.
Live music will also be presented by local musicians, including pianist Frank Puzzullo, associate professor of music performance at Ball State, on Friday night and pianist Sonya Dorr Binder Saturday night in the lobby of the Minnetrista Cultural Center. Accordion player Betty Oliver, guitarist Chris Parton and Nan Noble will also perform.
Puzzullo, who was invited to perform at Minnetrista in mid-November, said the Christmas music will entertain guests and make the candle-lit walk more festive.
"It's background music," Puzzullo said. "Just like people in the store are hearing Christmas music, it's the same thing, except the musicians are live."
Students and Muncie residents will also have the opportunity to shop at LuminArtist Marketplace, where 24 vendors will show off their handcrafted gift and Christmas food items.
A Luminaria Baltic-style labyrinth will further entertain visitors as they attempt to find their way through the candle-lit puzzle, said Jessica Myrick, communications specialist at Minnetrista.
"If people don't have a holiday tradition, it's a great time to start one, and it's a great place to start one," she said. "And it's a great date night."
Myrick, who expects to see thousands of visitors each night, said she especially encouraged Ball State students to come out and explore what Minnetrista has to offer while the area is beautifully lit and activities are free.
"It's so close to them," Myrick said. "It's a great thing to do off campus that is so close. It puts you in the holiday spirit, and it's a great opportunity to take the ones you care about around and show what they've found as a great getaway. Minnetrista is kind of like that."
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