To Middletown resident Bill Hart, his Christmas lights mean much more to him than the holiday.
Last year was the first season he strung thousands of lights programmed to music on his home and in his yard at 137 Pine Valley Drive. But this year, it’s not just a display, it’s a fundraiser.
His wife, Sharon, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.
“This year, part of the lighting are five-foot-tall illuminated letters that spell out ‘HOPE,’ and big pink ribbons with leaping arches,” Bill said. “When they see the word ‘HOPE’ with the pink ribbons, they know the display is there to bring cancer awareness.”
He set up a donation box in his yard, and any money contributed will go to Team Survivor, his group that participates in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Middletown. Last year was the team’s first year participating in the relay, and they raised close to $10,000. The Relay for Life Committee invented the “Rookie of the Year” award to honor the team’s efforts.
The HOPE letters, ribbons and arches make up just part of the 30,000-light display. Last year, he strung 7,000 lights.
Bill said he picked up extension cords throughout the year. There are 3,600 feet of cords powering the lights.
“I’m going bigger and bigger and bigger every year,” Bill said. “This year I went high-tech.”
He added 30 mini Christmas trees and lined his driveway with 30 candy canes, all of which are illuminated. He also strung lights in the trees along his driveway.
Bill said every strand of lights is synchronized to the beat of music, including “Carol of the Bells,” “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”
He said he uses a computer program called Light-O-Rama and started putting this year’s show together in March.
“It takes about two hours to program one minute of a song,” he said.
Bill said those who come out to view the display can tune their car radio to 107.5 FM to hear the music and watch the lights dance. The show lasts about 17 minutes.
The lights display runs through Wednesday, Dec. 31, Sundays through Thursdays, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 10 p.m.
Bill said he also set up a special New Year’s Eve show that starts at the stroke of midnight.
“I’ll program my computer to the exact same time as the ball dropping,” he said. “As soon as the ball hits zero, the lights come on for New Year’s and ‘Auld Lang Syne’ plays.”
|
|
|
To Middletown resident Bill Hart, his Christmas lights mean much more to him than the holiday.
Last year was the first season he strung thousands of lights programmed to music on his home and in his yard at 137 Pine Valley Drive. But this year, it’s not just a display, it’s a fundraiser.
His wife, Sharon, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.
“This year, part of the lighting are five-foot-tall illuminated letters that spell out ‘HOPE,’ and big pink ribbons with leaping arches,” Bill said. “When they see the word ‘HOPE’ with the pink ribbons, they know the display is there to bring cancer awareness.”
He set up a donation box in his yard, and any money contributed will go to Team Survivor, his group that participates in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Middletown. Last year was the team’s first year participating in the relay, and they raised close to $10,000. The Relay for Life Committee invented the “Rookie of the Year” award to honor the team’s efforts.
The HOPE letters, ribbons and arches make up just part of the 30,000-light display. Last year, he strung 7,000 lights.
Bill said he picked up extension cords throughout the year. There are 3,600 feet of cords powering the lights.
“I’m going bigger and bigger and bigger every year,” Bill said. “This year I went high-tech.”
He added 30 mini Christmas trees and lined his driveway with 30 candy canes, all of which are illuminated. He also strung lights in the trees along his driveway.
Bill said every strand of lights is synchronized to the beat of music, including “Carol of the Bells,” “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”
He said he uses a computer program called Light-O-Rama and started putting this year’s show together in March.
“It takes about two hours to program one minute of a song,” he said.
Bill said those who come out to view the display can tune their car radio to 107.5 FM to hear the music and watch the lights dance. The show lasts about 17 minutes.
The lights display runs through Wednesday, Dec. 31, Sundays through Thursdays, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 10 p.m.
Bill said he also set up a special New Year’s Eve show that starts at the stroke of midnight.
“I’ll program my computer to the exact same time as the ball dropping,” he said. “As soon as the ball hits zero, the lights come on for New Year’s and ‘Auld Lang Syne’ plays.”
Broad Street winter wonderland
Bob Hairgrove has created a Christmas display for years, and this year he moved from St. Georges to 904 S. Broad St., Middletown.
In previous years, he used as many as 40,000 lights in his displays. He had to scale back a little to fit his smaller yard, but his show is still a traffic stopper, literally.
It’s hard not to notice the plethora of reindeer, inflatables and 20,000 lights while driving at night.
“I look outside and somebody is always stopped on the side of the road looking at the lights,” Hairgrove said. “What I get a kick out of is when they roll their windows down and kids hang out the window watching the show.”
He said he and his son will hand out candy canes to spectators.
Hairgrove said drivers stopped to comment on the display even while he was putting it up, and he’s received emails.
“They seem to enjoy it,” he said.
His lights show is also programmed to music, which can be heard from car stereos at 106.7 FM, Sundays through Thursdays, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The show will run through Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Hairgrove’s music selection this year includes songs from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Dean Martin, The Royal Guardsmen’s “Snoopy vs. The Red Baron” and the Disney Main Street Electrical Parade.
The show lasts about 30 minutes. He said the show is determined by which layout will make the best effect based on how the lights flash with the music.
Hairgrove said his display this year is 100 percent LED (light-emitting diode) lights, which don’t use as much energy as iridescent lights. He stocks up on his collection during after-Christmas sales.
He said in the off season, he tries to learn as much as possible to make his show the best it can be.
Every two summers, he visits a Christmas light convention in Nashville.
“I think it will appeal to the people who ride by and look at the display,” he said. “I do it for the kids and the community. It’s been a tradition in my family ever since my grandfather did it at his house.”
