The home of the 2017 first place winner of the Board of Light and Power’s annual Christmas light contest, John Carter and family, located at 1313 N. Vandenboom in Marquette, is pictured. For seniors who wish to view Christmas light displays in the area this year, the Ishpeming Senior Center will be offering a bus tour that will start 5 p.m. Monday. Interested parties are encouraged to register for the free tour as soon as possible by calling the center at 906-485-5527. (Journal photo by Corey Kelly)

MARQUETTE — For seniors who wish to explore their towns and communities while viewing the light displays of their neighbors during the holiday season, the Ishpeming Senior Center is holding its annual Christmas light color tour on Monday evening.

The tour will give area seniors a chance to enjoy the Christmas cheer in a safe, convenient and warm environment, organizers said.

“It’s a nice night out,” Ishpeming Senior Center Director Elyse Bertucci said. “You don’t have to worry about driving — the new MarqTran buses are very comfortable, they’re warm and the viewing of the color lights is good — and it’s just a nice night of viewing the holiday lights and enjoying the company of others.”

The trip, which is free of charge, will depart from the Ishpeming Senior Center at 5 p.m. Monday. Attendees can board the MarqTran bus at the center, located at 320 S. Pine St., Ishpeming, or arrange for pickup at the Canda Manor Apartments in Ishpeming, she said.

Organizers work to ensure the tour hits all of the best light displays in the area, Bertucci said, noting that the tour explores the areas Ishpeming, Negaunee, and Marquette, depending on weather and the displays that attendees would most like to see.

The tour offers a convenient and relaxing way to view the beauty of Christmas lights with friends and loved ones, she said.

“You don’t have to worry about finding them … you don’t have to be concerned about looking at the displays and driving — you can just sit there and look out the window and enjoy,” she said.

It’s also a good opportunity for a fun night out with a loved one or friend, she said.

“A lot of (attendees), they come with friends,” she said. “A lot of times when people call for a reservation, it’s not just for themselves, they’re calling for a couple of their friends too.”

After the group finishes up the Christmas light tour, they’ll visit a local eatery to grab a meal, dessert, or snack of their choice, which will be the sole expense of the trip for attendees, Bertucci said, as they will be responsible for paying for their meal or snack.

While the Christmas light tour is one of the regular field trips held annually, it is just one of many field trips the center offers throughout the year, Bertucci said.

“The color tour for the Christmas lights and the color tour for the fall colors, those are the two mainstays,” she said, noting that the center also visits Lakenenland each year, takes cemetery tours with the Ishpeming Historical Society and offers a “Senior Pickers” trip that takes attendees to area thrift stores and antique shops for a day of treasure hunting.

The center focuses on making each tour accessible for seniors of all ages and abilities, she said.

“We’re very conscious of making the trip easy and accessible for seniors, we let them know if walking is needed or not needed,” she said.

Bertucci expects the tour to arrive back at the Senior Center by 8 or 8:30 p.m. at the latest, depending on the weather and the areas the tour visits, she said.

Interested parties are encouraged to call the center at 906-485-5527 as soon as possible to make a reservation for Monday’s tour, Bertucci said.