Christmas light displays bring out smiles and the spirit of the season

“I added, I think it was 13 new inflatables, more lights you know, I extended my pathway,” said Matuska from the start of the path. “Just because of the year we’ve had … it’s a good way to end the year I think on a merry note.”

The display is impressive enough when you drive by, but walking through is the only way to truly see the magic.

There are different little villages along the path like Santa’s Puppy Pen, a kiddie land and a bear scene.

And there’s plenty of room for pictures, Matuska notes.

“I got hugging bears where you can take pictures, benches you can sit down and have pictures with the inflatables,” he said.

Matuska says there are 85 inflatables, 200 candy canes along the path, about 140 strands of lights and more than 50 extension cords.

It took two weeks for Matuska to get the display up this year, twice as long as in past years. He got help from his mother, and his bosses at White Fox Group gave him some time off to work on it.

He says they’re kind of a sponsor for him, having helped out in other ways in the past also.

At the end of the path, a box is set up to accept donations for the SPCA, if people would like to help make Christmas merry for the animals.

“It’s not a requirement,” he says. “I don’t want people to feel they have to donate to come through, I want everybody to come through and have a good time. You know if you feel you want to donate by all means.”

Matuska turns on the lights from 5-10 p.m. each night and the weekend hours could be extended as it gets closer to Dec. 25.

Just outside the city, Jenny Robinson at Dunmore Lights is accepting e-transfer donations to the Ronald McDonald House.

At 510 Third Ave., Dunmore Lights is almost 15,000 pixel lights synchronized to music. It’s best experienced from the warmth of your vehicle with the radio tuned to 107.9.

“It’s basically a lot of holiday songs, and then there’s mixed up with different other songs that could be popular or even from the past,” she says.

Scenes that complement the music play on a screen at the house as well.

Robinson says her mom put up her lights when she was a child and now she wants to bring that joy to others.

“I do this because I love Christmas. I like bringing a smile to people’s faces,” she says.

The Dunmore Lights show is on from 5:30-9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 5:30-10 Friday and Saturday. She also says the hours will probably be extended closer to Christmas.

by Chris Brown

Christmas light displays bring out smiles and the spirit of the season

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