Did you know there are over 10,000 lights on each of the two angels flanking Anderson Japanese Gardens? Local architect, Ed Ware, designed the angels in the late 1990’s. The Garden Founder’s original intent was to honor Christ’s birth and to provide inspiration for those traveling along Spring Creek Road. Twenty years later the angels still illuminate the Spring Creek corridor and exude the spirit of the holiday season.

Each year in mid-November the angels emerge from their storage facility in southeast Rockford in four sections. They arrive at the Garden early in the morning on a flatbed semi-trailer and are installed using a crane. After installation and all the electrical connections are tested, they sit patiently for several days if they weren’t there at all. Then, on the day after Thanksgiving, the lights come on at dusk for all to enjoy. We hope the angels instill an uplifting and peaceful aura for our community throughout the holiday season.