Sharing the light: Bellwood community engages in a little friendly decorating competition
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TIPTON -- Seemingly in a twist of the old Lay's potato chip slogan, Bob and Debbie Mullan of Tipton couldn't light just one.
So in addition to putting up a Christmas light display on their home, they got permission to expand it to include two neighbors' yards.
For years, Lay's used the slogan you can't eat just one.
The same thing could apply to the Bellwood-Antis community, where about 40 residents and two businesses have registered for Bellwood-Antis Community Trust's first "light fight."
Organizers said the event is meant to be a fun, family-friendly activity for people to do.
Over 225 people have voted in the competition so far, said Melisa Berardi, the community trust's president.
Voting for the competition ends 8:30 p.m. Sunday. The winners will be announced Monday during elementary parent engagement night at the Bellwood-Antis Public Library.
For the residential category, $50 and a gift basket will go to the first place winner, while $25 will be given to runner-up and the first place recipient of the non-residential category.
She said links to information sheets for voting and an online map of the displays can be found on the trust's Facebook page.
"We have had a great amount of positive feedback, and we plan to continue this tradition for many, many years," she said, adding she hopes more people will be involved next year.
The Mullans said they're keeping their decorations up until at least New Year's Day.
Berardi said she thinks many of the other displays will remain lit through the holiday season.
Bob said he has decorated his house every year for the last 15 years using a software called Light-O-Rama, which allows him to synchronize his lights to the beat of the music he programs through his computer. He said it takes up to 25 hours to hook everything up.
Two of his neighbors -- Chris Stover and Lucas Runk -- gave him permission to decorate their yards this year, too. But they use their own electricity to power their lights, Bob said.
He said he doesn't notice much of an increase on his electric bill for the lights.
Debbie said the computer sends the music to an FM radio transmitter, which can be picked up from up to 100 yards away.
"That way, you can sit in your car and it's warm, and you don't have the music blasting all over the neighborhood from a loudspeaker," she said.
Bob said every year, he notices people parked outside his house to admire the lights.
"Typically they'll be there for a minute," he said. "I have an hour of music. Nobody's going to sit there for an hour, though."
He said the first five songs are light Christmas tunes, and the rest is Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The lights display and music repeats from 5:15 to 9:30 every night, he said.
"After 9:30, you don't need that many lights on," Bob said, adding his neighbors across the street don't mind looking at the lights.
Bob has never paid full price for lights, he said.
"All those lights going out of the grass, they were at Ace Hardware for $2 a piece," Bob said. "There were a bunch of them, so I bought them all. This is the first time I've actually run (Christmas lights from) out of the grass."
Even though they're listed in the "light fight" competition, Bob said the couple is not hoping to win anything. He said he wants people to remember the reason for the season.
"Jesus sends us light, so I'm sending some light back to him," he said. "Hopefully people drive by, see that light and realize the reason for the season, and it brings joy to the world."
Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.
On the Net
See video of the Mullans' lights display online at the Mirror's YouTube channel, https://youtu.be/UCAAcpo8z9g