Manning Light Show

07/09/2026

🎄 The Countdown is On for the Manning Light Show! 💡

Christmas in July? It has to be! If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it's that if I don't get started right now, I am absolutely going to run out of time before the show starts on Black Friday! ⏳

The off-season flies by, so it’s officially time to get to work. The workbench is cleared and loaded down with some serious new hardware. 🛠️

I'm tackling brand-new custom props, fresh spools of seed pixels for more dense matrices, and upgraded smart controllers to reduce notable lag in pixel response. And, of course... it's time to add more pixels!

Last year, the Manning Light Show was rocking just short of 30,000 total lights.

🕵️‍♂️ Time for a Guessing Game!

Take a look at the photo of the 2027 adds. Who wants to guess how many NEW lights/pixels are sitting on the bench ready to be integrated into the show?

👇 Drop your exact guess in the comments below! 👇

Let’s see who gets the closest, the Price is Right-style! The closest guess (without going over!) gets to help me select a new song for the show this coming season! 🎶🥳

04/09/2026

A Different Kind of Show 💡➡️⚽️

From Light Shows to the Pitch—Something New is Coming to Stewartville!

Hey, Manning Light Show family! 💡 Usually, my posts here are all about pixels, controllers, and holiday magic. But today, I’m wearing a different hat—one that’s just as focused on building something great for our community.

As many of you know, I’ve been working with a dedicated team of locals to launch Stewartville FC, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth soccer club. Our mission is simple: Players over Profits. We want to provide a premier soccer experience for our kids right here at home.

I’m sharing this here because I know how much this community supports local initiatives. If you have kids entering grades 3–12 this Fall (2026-2027 school year), or just want to see what we’re building for the future of Stewartville sports, I’d love for you to join us this weekend.

Join me and the SFC Board for our Inaugural Parent Information Meeting:

📅 This Sunday, April 12th
🕕 6:00 PM
📍 Stewartville High School PAC

We’ll be revealing our Fall 2026 roadmap, our coaching philosophy, providing a sneak peek at the new uniform kits, and fielding questions about the club.

If you don't have soccer players in the house, please Share this post! Let’s make sure every family in town knows they have a new high-level, home-grown option for their athletes.

See you at the PAC!

— Joe Manning
President, Stewartville FC

Send a message to learn more

01/02/2026

Just like that, the 2025 Manning Light Show is over.

Thank you all so much for all of the kind messages, compliments in passing, and gifts left at the front door; an even bigger thank you to anyone that was able to make a donation to Family Service Rochester! We are blessed to live in such a fantastic, supporting, and cheerful community! If you are interested in making a donation and have not yet been able to, please see the link below:

https://familyservicerochester.org/donate

As I look outside at the lights and prepare for the not so enjoyable task of tearing everything down and putting it is storage, I gathered a few end of season stats to share. Do you wonder how many interact with the website while viewing the show? Curious to see which songs are the favorites? Well, wonder no more!

From our family to all of yours, I hope you have a fantastic 2026!

12/24/2025

I am having an issue with the main show controller, so the show will be down for the remainder of the evening. I'll work to have things back up and running tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for the understanding!