Holiday Light Spectacular set for PNC Bank Arts Center

HOLMDEL — For the eighth year, the PNC Bank Arts Center is planning to brighten up the holidays for Shore area families.

The annual Holiday Light Spectacular is scheduled to kick off Dec. 2 and will run until New Year's Day. A presentation of more than 1 million lights and 180 holiday displays can be viewed during the two-mile drive through.

"You'll never see anything quite like this," said spokeswoman Krista Newbert. "It's a pretty remarkable display for families to enjoy."

General Manager John Panaro said the event started as an attempt to offer events outside of the facility's summer schedule of concerts.

"It was started to offer something different for families to do for the holidays," Panaro said.

Since the event's inception, Midwest Displays in Marion, Ind., has assembled the displays for the event. It will include the Carriage Spectacular, a setup that is 150 feet wide, Panaro said.

Some of the animated displays include Santa's Beach Party, a depiction of a beach party with Santa Claus, and a reenactment of the 12 days of Christmas.

After viewing the light display, patrons can visit the Holiday Village where they can take pictures with Santa.

A portion of the proceeds will go toward three Shore area charities — Project Linus, NJ, Inc., The Brain Research And Innovation Now (BRAIN) Foundation, Inc. and The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.