Lighting up the holiday season!
You might have noticed a lot of displays now shining in your neighborhood. And now, communities and some all-out home shows are cranking things on, too.
“This is exciting. This is good for West Haven. It’s good to see so many people out here,” said Mayor Nancy Rossi, D – West Haven.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Hundreds of festival-goers in West Haven turned out for train rides, crafts – such as decorating ornaments – and of course, the tree lighting.
“Just get in the spirit of the holidays,” said Mark Tomlinson of West Haven.
After last year’s event was held virtually, many were thrilled to be here in-person, including the Tomlinson family with their son Austin.
“Especially having him throughout Covid-19, I feel last year he didn’t get the full experience of sitting on Santa’s lap, all the excitement and that stuff. So it’s fun to bring it back this year and have all that fun stuff to do,” said Lisa Tomlinson.
On Saturday, a high-wattage, 20 minute-long display debuted at a home on Surrey Drive in Wethersfield.
John Strycharz tells us he’s been setting up a show outside his parents’ home for 16 years and it can take about a year to design and up to two months to set up.
“Lighting has really grown into my passion. I started a company because of this,” said Strycharz.
While the cost of the equipment and electricity adds up, he says it’s all worth it when he sees the reaction from the community as they drive by.
“I never thought that looking 10 years and we would have four, five cars the whole year to now the street is packed every day. It’s crazy to see how it’s grown,” said Strycharz.
The show goes from 5 until 8:45 p.m. each night until Dec. 31. Music to accompany the display can be found on FM 104.5.
