Lights On Boone

 

Here are some the 'Frequently Asked Questions' about our display. If you would like to know more, please email us at lightsonboone@sbcglobal.net.

 

Q: Why?

A: When we bought our house in July of 2002, it was our first 'home' and I wanted to decorate it for Christmas. Our son was 4, and he was really was into Christmas that year, so I bought lights and put them up. That year we did not have the lights set to music, they were just static (always on).

 

Our neighbors told us that is was nice to see Christmas lights in the neighborhood again. It gave us a great feeling, that not only did our family enjoy the lights, but our friends and neighbors did as well.

 

So...While surfing the Internet one day, I came across some Christmas light displays on YouTube.com. I was hooked...I was going to get those lights moving to music.

 

And so we did, and each year we will continue to grow the display.

 

Q: How much does this cost?

A: I have no idea how much money we have invested in our display. However, there is more time than money invested.

 

Q: How long does it take to put the display up and take it down?

A: For 2008, it took 5 days to put up and will take 2 - 3 days to take down.  I need to start earlier than Thanksgiving and normally take advantage of warmer days when I can.

 

Q: Where can I buy one?

A: Everything we have done is home made. You can not just go and buy it. However, there are several commercial systems on the market today such as Light-O-Rama.

 

Q: Where can I go to learn about making a display like this?

A: Most of what I have learned came from DoItYourselfChristmas.com This is a great community that is always willing to help out. The other big site is PlanetChristmas.com

 

Q: How long does it take to sequence a song?

A: It takes anywhere from 5 to 8 hours sequencing each song.  I have 14 songs for 2008, so I figure about 94 hours.

 

Q: How much electrical cost does it take to run the display?

A: It costs around $50 extra.  Yes...only $50!  The reason why is because the lights are not constantly on except for certain parts of the show.  This is another great reason to go computerized.

 

Q: How many lights are there?

A: We have rebuilt our display this year and have a little over 10,000 lights. We plan on increasing this every year.

 

Q: How do you tie into a radio station?

A: I have a low wattage transmitter that I connect to my pc and broadcast to your car.