At Shore Acres, you really see the lights.

Byline: The Register-Guard

When Team Best of ... set out in search of the best Christma - er, make that "holiday" - display in the Best of ... minivan, we snaked our way through all the nooks and crannies of the region looking for something that would dazzle.

We saw giant inflatable Santas on the lawns of those brand-spankin'-new northeast Eugene cul-de-sacs. We saw shopping center parking lots strung up with millions of white lights that blink to the rhythm of "Jingle Bells." We even checked out an NC-17 display on Barger Drive of illuminated reindeer doing what, um, well - they were engaged in what hot-blooded reindeer do, you know, to reproduce.

We examined everything that flashed, shined, winked, blinked, twinkled and waved, hoping to find the ultimate in holiday cheer. And what we saw was a lot of plywood-and-lights contraptions not stimulating enough to bedazzle our cable TV/high speed Internet/video game/picture phone-saturated brains.

That is, until we followed the bright star on a midnight clear and ended up at far-flung Shore Acres State Park, near Charleston on the coast. If only Ken Kesey were alive to see it.

Not that you have to be hallucinating to appreciate the full spectrum of 250,000 blinking, flashing, multicolored holiday lights. But you've got to admit that wandering among electrified diving sea lions and leaping frogs while sipping cider and munching on snickerdoodles would be right up the Merry Pranksters' alley.

The park's 18th annual Holiday Lights display is a family affair, which means you're far more likely to trip over a sniveling youngster than a giggling hippie. Which is just fine with Team Best of...

But about those lights.

There's an orca cresting and splashing into an imaginary ocean. The effect is created by different sets of lights, blinking one at a time, sort of like the way cartoons used to be drawn.

There are sea lions barking and diving off rocks. And an undersea garden, complete with a starfish, crab, sea horse, octopus and the dangling legs of some kind of waterfowl.

But if wildlife ain't your thing, sniff the pretty flowers. They won't smell like anything but voltage, but have you ever seen a tulip, rhododendron, rose and dahlia in the same magnified scene?

There's a grasshopper, a snail, a turtle and a slug. Take your pick. And much, much more. Seven acres of Christmas trees, hedges and shrubbery of all kinds are jam-packed with lights.

The whole thing started back in 1987, when the Friends of Shore Acres decided to string a few lights to draw visitors to the park. The first season, it was 6,000 miniature lights, a tree and a decorated garden house.

About 9,000 people showed up.

As the years dragged on, the Friends found more and more - and more - lights. Now, some 40,000 to 60,000 visitors from 38 countries arrive each season.

How's that for a great notion?

To see a show that will blow your mind, go to the Best of ... archive at www.registerguard .com/bestof.

BEST DISPLAY OF HOLIDAY LIGHT

Shore Acres State Park

Directions: South on Highway 101 from Reedsport; in North Bend, heed the signs to ocean beaches and Charleston, following the Cape Arago Highway until you see signs for Shore Acres

Telephone: [phone]

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Shore Acres State Park, south of Charleston on the Oregon Coast, twinkles each year with thousands of holiday lights.