T
tizzo
Guest
Far as I can reckon, you have upgraded and/or modified every piece of equipment you own. So much so, that others (myself included) will take your "innovations" and run with them. But since you asked about the Christmas light displays, I thought of you when I saw this. Some guy did up his yard in lights coordinated to turn on and off with a radio station that he "created" that will only air within 500 feet of his house. I saw it for myself, then I went back and video taped it. Problem is, that I don't know how to post a mini video. If you can tell me how, I'll post it, but until then, here is the article I cut/copied outa the paper. This is your idea for next year... and NO ICICLES!!
It's time to put Santa in the retirement home and Rudolph in the barn.
Jeff Lacey is the future of Christmas.
Well, the future of Christmas light displays, at least.
Lacey's high-tech combination -- radio broadcasts of holiday music to passing cars, with 30,000 lights that seemingly dance in time to the music -- is luring big crowds to his Mint Hill home and providing a glimpse into the future of Christmas decorations.
"I could have thrown a ton of lights up, but I'm going for the oohs and ahhs," said Lacey, a quality systems consultant when he's not programming lights and music.
Using software from Kansas-based Animated Lighting Limited, Lacey spent hours writing computer programs that synchronize each of the 40-plus displays in his yard to any of 10 Christmas songs.
"It takes almost a day to program a song," Lacey said.
The music is broadcast over a low-wattage FM radio station (107.5) with a range of about 500 feet along Forrest Rader Drive in the St. Ives subdivision.
Mark Spencer, marketing director for Animated Lighting Limited, said Lacey's program is "next-generation" for home holiday displays but added a caution:
Don't try this at home, unless you've got a lot of computer savvy.
"The challenge for companies like ours will be to lower the technical hurdle more," Spencer said, adding that his company produces preprogrammed products for those not willing to spend the time Lacey did.
In the subculture of Christmas-light lovers, Lacey is king.
"It's far and away the most incredible display I have seen," said Ray McCrodden, another Mint Hill resident whose home displays have been a big hit for a decade. "It's what you'd expect to see at Disney World."
Lacey and his wife, Sandra, have added a charitable element, putting up a sign asking passersby to show their appreciation by donating food items to Jackson Park Ministries, a nonprofit group that helps a low-income west Charlotte neighborhood.
"I couldn't do this without the support of my neighbors," Lacey said. "They've been patient with all the traffic, and many of them have put up big light displays of their own."
[hr]
WANT TO GO?
Address: 7415 Forrest Rader Drive, Mint Hill (in the St. Ives subdivision, off Truelight Church Road)
Want to go?
Address: 7415 Forrest Rader Drive, Mint Hill (in the St. Ives subdivision, off Truelight Church Road)
Hours: 6 to 11 p.m. nightly, through Dec. 30 (the lights are turned off on rainy nights; "Rain and electricity don't work together well," Jeff Lacey says)
It's time to put Santa in the retirement home and Rudolph in the barn.
Jeff Lacey is the future of Christmas.
Well, the future of Christmas light displays, at least.
Lacey's high-tech combination -- radio broadcasts of holiday music to passing cars, with 30,000 lights that seemingly dance in time to the music -- is luring big crowds to his Mint Hill home and providing a glimpse into the future of Christmas decorations.
"I could have thrown a ton of lights up, but I'm going for the oohs and ahhs," said Lacey, a quality systems consultant when he's not programming lights and music.
Using software from Kansas-based Animated Lighting Limited, Lacey spent hours writing computer programs that synchronize each of the 40-plus displays in his yard to any of 10 Christmas songs.
"It takes almost a day to program a song," Lacey said.
The music is broadcast over a low-wattage FM radio station (107.5) with a range of about 500 feet along Forrest Rader Drive in the St. Ives subdivision.
Mark Spencer, marketing director for Animated Lighting Limited, said Lacey's program is "next-generation" for home holiday displays but added a caution:
Don't try this at home, unless you've got a lot of computer savvy.
"The challenge for companies like ours will be to lower the technical hurdle more," Spencer said, adding that his company produces preprogrammed products for those not willing to spend the time Lacey did.
In the subculture of Christmas-light lovers, Lacey is king.
"It's far and away the most incredible display I have seen," said Ray McCrodden, another Mint Hill resident whose home displays have been a big hit for a decade. "It's what you'd expect to see at Disney World."
Lacey and his wife, Sandra, have added a charitable element, putting up a sign asking passersby to show their appreciation by donating food items to Jackson Park Ministries, a nonprofit group that helps a low-income west Charlotte neighborhood.
"I couldn't do this without the support of my neighbors," Lacey said. "They've been patient with all the traffic, and many of them have put up big light displays of their own."
[hr]
WANT TO GO?
Address: 7415 Forrest Rader Drive, Mint Hill (in the St. Ives subdivision, off Truelight Church Road)
Want to go?
Address: 7415 Forrest Rader Drive, Mint Hill (in the St. Ives subdivision, off Truelight Church Road)
Hours: 6 to 11 p.m. nightly, through Dec. 30 (the lights are turned off on rainy nights; "Rain and electricity don't work together well," Jeff Lacey says)
