SARTELL, Minn. — Robin Ringler doesn't usually spend much time in Sartell. In fact, he lives 93 miles away, in the East Metro near Big Marine Lake.
But when he saw what happened to the local Christmas display in Sartell, he decided to jump into action.
"I may not have come this far," Ringler said, "if it wasn't for Christmas."
Ringler was among the dozen or so volunteers who worked Thursday to repair the lights at the Country Lights Festival grounds, just a week after a vandal inexplicably destroyed the display by cutting most of the cords. Volunteers will return to work on Friday to put the finishing touches on the display, so that the annual festival can open on time later this month.
Sartell Police are investigating the crime, which caused thousands of dollars in damages. But they haven't made any arrests yet.
"I don't even... I can't even fathom. It's hard to believe," Ringler said. "I don't know what to say other than I enjoy helping, and the spirit of Christmas does help."
Leah McGuire, the treasurer of the Country Lights Festival, said the original light display went up in September.
"Forty different volunteers donated their time and helped string all these lights. We had these all done. We were ahead of schedule," McGuire said, "then last week we came to move them all out to the park and found they had been cut."
In these trying times, McGuire has been delighted by the community's response. Volunteers so far have included many members of the community, and companies like Country Financial -- Central MN Agency, Magnifi Financial, House of Pizza, Kensington Bank, and St. Cloud Financial Credit Union.
"That day, we reached out to some past volunteers and they came back the next day and redid what they did a month ago. It's the outpouring of help and support that has been great and heartwarming," McGuire said. "The Grinch won't stop this year's display."
Sartell Police have asked anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
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