26 Oct 2026
How a Christmas Joke Became Bentleyville with Nathan Bentley
What happens when one guy gets a little carried away with his Christmas lights? Twenty three years later, you get the tallest man made Christmas tree in the country being walked down Railroad Street by a crane.
This week we sat down with Nathan Bentley, founder of Bentleyville Tour of Lights, the largest free walk-through holiday lights display in the nation. It started in 2003 at his house in Esko, got its name from a coworker who thought he was going overboard, survived a neighbor petition out on the Crosby Road, and landed at Bayfront Festival Park in 2009 after a half hour meeting with Mayor Don Ness. Nathan said yes before he had ever stepped foot in Bayfront.
He has never been paid a cent for any of it. He’s down there every single night, and he gave us more behind the scenes details than we expected, including a few he says have never been shared before.
WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT
Bentleyville was never planned. A lot of what we love today came from friends tossing out “the big idea” while setting up lights on weekends.
The $2 candy bars with golden tickets help fund a nearly $1 million operation, and yes, the whole idea came straight from Willy Wonka.
The giant tree happened because of a phone call where the ironworkers thought Nathan said 12 feet, not 120.
Ironworkers and carpenters union students build the tree, the gift shop, the phone booths, and the giant moons as part of their training.
Bentleyville has been the setting for first dates, proposals, weddings inside the tree, and a couple of final wishes that had us tearing up in the studio.
Locals, go on a weeknight. If you must go on a Saturday, show up around 8:15. Nathan was very clear about this.
At its heart it’s a food and toy drive for the Salvation Army, so bring more than one can of soup.
OUR FAVORITE QUOTES
“Accidental things happen to me. And that usually turns out pretty good.”
“Our outhouse bill is more than the electric bill.”
“Stop coming early, come late. You’re going to outsmart the smart people.”
“Some people get tattoos. Some people make light displays.”
“We cannot be seen with last year’s Bentleyville hat.”
CHAPTERS
01:37 Bentleyville with an attitude
07:52 Golden tickets and a four wheeler
13:59 The 12 foot tree that wasn’t
39:01 The stories that stay with you
53:15 The bill nobody guesses
1:04:04 Come late, trust us
1:16:17 What it’s really about
YOUR TURN
What’s a tradition in your life that started by accident, and who do you want standing next to you the next time you show up for it?
CONNECT WITH BENTLEYVILLE
Bentleyville opens Saturday, November 21 at 5 pm with Santa arriving by helicopter, and runs through Saturday, December 26 at Bayfront Festival Park.
Red Kettle Carnival is Wednesday, November 4, the only night the public can go inside the tree.
Volunteer signups open on the website the first week of November.
bentleyvilleusa.org (http://bentleyvilleusa.org)
info@bentleyvilleusa.org
FIND US OUT IN THE WILD
Caroline is at Visit Duluth: visitduluth.com (http://visitduluth.com)
Hailey is at the Depot: experiencethedepot.org (http://experiencethedepot.org)
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