MARYSVILLE – Clark Griswold has nothing on Dennis Warren. Sure, Chevy Chase’s character in the Vacation movies knows how to put up a plethora of Christmas lights. But Warren does so much more.
Warren lights up 72nd Drive just south of the Cedarcrest Golf Course for going on 10 years now. He uses his computers to hand-synchronize the 52,000 lights to 14 different songs. He fades the lights in and out and adjusts their intensity listening to the notes and beat of the music, which is sent out on FM via a ham radio.
Christmas isn’t the only time of year he does this. He also puts on an extravagant show at Halloween.
“For three months my wife (Bernice) is a holiday widow,” he said Thursday.
The Halloween showcase has more props but fewer lights. The first year, they had 80 trick-or-treaters. This year, they had 900 in about three hours on Halloween night. He sets that up Oct. 1, but only has the music and show going for three days around Halloween. That setup has to come right down because six days later he starts setting up for Christmas.
The IT Boeing employee puts hours and hours into his shows.
“It’s my main hobby now,” he said, adding he used to play golf and enjoy online video gaming.
It really is an all-year process. He starts planning for next year after each Halloween and Christmas. He builds different sets in summer. He reinforces each set to be able to withstand the 60-mph winds he sometimes gets in December. He has something new every year. He added 8,000 bulbs this year alone.
It takes him about 150 hours over three weeks to set it all up and four days to tear it down.
He gets to use his creative side and is proud of his work, but that’s not why he does it.
“I enjoy the response from the community and my family, and the spark in kids’ eyes,” he said.
He also likes to look at the comments on his Facebook site called, “Holiday Lights in Marysville.” Warren talks to folks each night. Any monetary or food donations go to Volunteers of America. The show runs from 5-9 p.m. every day except Friday and Saturday, when it’s open an hour longer. Warren got started with this after a longtime friend, Mark Zembrusky, got an animation showcase going called Woodinville Wonderful. He said now there is a community of about 80 enthusiasts who keep in touch and share ideas. His showcase brings a lot of traffic into the cul-de-sac, but he said his neighbors have been great. The past few years many of them have expanded their Christmas light displays.
“We work together with the neighbors,” he said.
For more information
Address: 7513 72nd Drive NE
Website: www.holidaylightsinmarysville.
Facebook: Holiday Lights In Marysville
