The saluting toy soldiers, flying reindeer, playing penguins and animatronic elves are all back on campus in the annual Lights of Life holiday display.

University leaders almost scrapped the wildly popular light show, which has drawn 750,000 people annually, to save money. The display costs about $350,000 a year, and the university has been under intense pressure to cut expenses to match sharply declining enrollment.

The school's enrollment has plummeted since June, when the university lost accreditation of its chiropractic program. The university lost its appeal of that revocation in October, triggering another exodus of students.

The uncertainty over the future of the light show appears to have suppressed attendance.

Although a steady progression of cars passed through the Marietta campus last week for the first few nights, many visitors said they recalled traffic being heavier in the past, even at that early stage of the season.

"It's usually packed with cars," said Dave Franchella of Woodstock. "Normally it takes an hour and a half to two hours."

This year, Franchella and his convoy of five cars made it to the midpoint -- Santa's village -- within minutes.

As he stood by his car on a frigid night, his family and friends walked among the seven enclosed huts in the workshop village, inspecting the animatronic dolls and Christmas scenes up close.

A recording of "Frosty the Snowman" could be heard across the village area, coming from speakers hidden among trees and shrubs.

The light show was salvaged this year after the university received greater support from corporate sponsors and community groups. Marietta Power is among 12 sponsors who help underwrite the show.

Although it remains a free event, visitors are being asked to contribute $5 per car. If everyone gave that amount, the show would be self-supporting with crowds equal to prior years, said Will Hurst, a university spokesman.

Under a canopy of white lights, two employee volunteers stood with collection buckets. In previous years, visitors contributed about $150,000, while corporate sponsors provided $20,000 to $50,000.

This year, a golf tournament and other fund-raisers were held to help defray the expense of keeping the 2 million bulbs aglow.

Franchella and his group, which included neighbors and friends, have made the trek around Barclay Circle almost every year. They never get sick of it, and were worried that this year it might not happen.

"Every business in Marietta needs to contribute to this," Franchella said. "It's just a wonderful family event."

Alice Barger, a native Mariettan now living in Lincoln, Neb., said the light show is the highlight of her annual trips back home for the holidays. "The lights have got to survive at all costs," she said.

University leaders say they will figure out how to make that happen. The newly appointed president, Ben DeSpain, said he understands the display is a community tradition.

"It is important to the community, and we recognize that," DeSpain said. "We'd like to keep that focus."

The show runs nightly through Dec. 31, from 6 to midnight. Santa is scheduled to show up for sittings with children.