A dozen lights and some cameras were stolen from the Christmas Cave in Minford and the folks at White Gravel Mines are asking for the public’s help in getting them back. The lights vanished sometime within the past couple of days. The thieves also thought ahead and took several extension cords along with the lights. The folks behind the Christmas Cave said the lights are not only expensive but difficult to come by these days. “Please share with your friends to help get the word out! Message us if you have any information, please! Thank you!!” The programmable RGB floodlights change to 16 different colors and flash strobe, fade, and smooth modes plus have adjustable brightness.
The Christmas Cave was far from the only victim of Christmas light thieves this year. Multiple Portsmouth residents, including Mayor Kevin E. Johnson, reported the theft of lights and other decorations during the holiday season.
Christmas Cave Sees Thousands of Visitors
The popular Minford non-profit holiday attraction celebrated a busy 5th year in 2020. In 2019, they welcomed close to 40,000 visitors. The former mine offers 16 Biblical scenes and three nativity exhibits in an underground setting illuminated with thousands of lights. Admission to the exhibits is free, though they do request a $1 donation from visitors. They also put on a “Cavern of Choices” show in October. The Christmas Cave welcomed its 150,000th visitor in mid-December. While many attractions, like Portsmouth’s Winterfest, shut down due to COVID-19, The Christmas Cave remained open, though masks and social distancing protocols were required.
Fans of the attraction expressed shock at the theft:
- “How awful. The cave symbols pure and love, how can anyone do something that mean?”
- “What is wrong with people?? This is just awful.”
If you have any information about the missing lights, White Gravel Mines asks that you message them via their Facebook page.