Council Bluffs starts holiday season

The holiday season starts today in Council Bluffs with the opening of the spectacular Winter Wonderland in the town’s Bayliss Park. The walk-through display features Santa Claus in a hot air balloon and dozens of colorful scenes comprised of more than 100-thousand twinkling lights.Diane Hestness is the special projects coordinator for the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau. She says the Winter Wonderland display, which will be open now through January 6th, draws visitors to western Iowa from all over the region.The opening of the display marks the start of more than three months of events in Council Bluffs — called Winterfest. Hestness says special features include the Historic Trolley Tours on December 1st.Winterfest events run through February 9th. For more information, surf to “www.councilbluffsiowa.com” or call (800) 228-6878.