Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many lights are there?
A: For 2011, we have just under 65,000 lights. Mostly LED.
Q: How long does it take you to put all of this stuff up?
A: We normally start hanging lights at the end of October. However this year, we got a late start due to a foot injury! (thanks to the help of some really great friends, we finished just in time this year.) Next year we plan to start at the beginning of October. Planning goes on all year long. We already have a few ideas for next year.
Q: How much is your electric bill?
A: Less than you might think. Most of the lights we use are LED (Light Emitting Diode) which use quite a bit less power. Also, rarely are the lights all on at the same time or for very long, so that helps conserve energy as well. The entire display only uses two additional 20 amp circuits.
Q: Why do you do this?
A: I keep asking myself the very same thing... Actually, I love anything that lights up. Growing up, if it lit up, I had to have it, or at least go and see it. I started decorating outside three years ago to begin a tradition with my children, and I hope as they grow older, they will continue to do it with me. Also, what better way to spread the Christmas spirit than to do it with lights and decorations and Christmas music?
Q: What do your neighbors think?
A: We are lucky to have really great neighbors, many love to watch and wave as we begin setting up the display. We do care about all of our neighbors, and do hope that if there is an issue, they will come see us. We will do whatever we can to continue to be as neighborly as possible.
Q: How do you do it?
A: We use specialized hardware and software from a company known as Light O Rama. Each strand of lights that we want to control is connected to its own dedicated circuit.
Q: How do you get the music on my car radio?
A: We use a small transmitter with very low power that allows us to broadcast the music to any FM radio station. We selected 93.5 because there is no other station that broadcasts on that station. (We don't want to interfere with any regular radio station.)
Q: How long does it take to do each song?
A: Due to the number of channels and the amount of light, it can take quite a while to program a whole song. Depending on how complicated the music is, it can take many hours to do each minute of music.
Q: Do you take donations?
A: In the past we have, however this year we decided not to. Times are tough for many people and their families, and we understand. We wanted to make this a "free" feel good thing that families could come and experience together. If you are interested in making a donation, the charities that we continue to support are: The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (
http://www.JDRF.org) and Akron Children's Hospital (
http://www.akronchildrens.org).
If you have a question that we didn't answer, please let us know. We respond to all email
inquiries. We may even post your answer here.