by Bob Groeneveld/Special to the 91原创 Advance
Ron Farmer set up his first Christmas display 鈥� really 鈥渏ust a few strings of lights,鈥� 鈥� at his home in Vancouver. That was in 1953.
Since then, the display has moved to his 91原创 home, practically next to Williams Park鈥� and it鈥檚 a lot more than 鈥渏ust a few strings of lights.鈥�
His annual Christmas display now consists of about 30,000 lights 鈥渟pread out over close to half an acre, I guess.鈥�
There are also Santas and reindeer and the rest 鈥� 鈥渁bout a hundred of them!鈥�
鈥淧eople say they enjoy it,鈥� he humbly submitted.
Between Vancouver and 91原创, he and his wife Gladys wowed visitors by decorating their home in Surrey, where people could see it 鈥渄riving up and down from Port Mann,鈥� said Farmer, 鈥渁nd people would even see it from the old Port Mann Bridge.鈥�
He moved to 91原创, in 1994, the same year that the big display at Williams Park was started.
鈥淚 talked to somebody at the park board and asked if it would be all right if I put a sign at the corner, so people could see when they鈥檙e leaving the park, and a lot of people came,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hen, the last couple of years, they took my sign down. I don鈥檛 know why. The tour buses and everything used to come here then, too,鈥� he added.
鈥淲hen I first moved here, Save-On had a contest, and I won that,鈥� he recounted, 鈥渁nd at the old house at Wallace Drive, I won a contest that Woodwards put on.鈥�
Getting the display up and running each year is no mean feat.
鈥淣ormally I start doing the lights on the trees in October, and then into November I get the figurines and that out, and try and turn it on on the first of December,鈥� Farmer explained.
But this time he got started a little late.
鈥淭his year the weather was so crummy, with the rain and that, so it wasn鈥檛 much fun working out there. So I was about a week late putting up,鈥� he said.
鈥淎 lot of it is checking the lights, taking out burned-out lights and trying to find them,鈥� he elaborated on the process.
鈥淪ome of the strings, when a light goes out, the whole string goes out. You know, some of the strings have 140 lights in them, and so you鈥檝e got to check all those lights to find the one that鈥檚 burned out. It gets very time-consuming.鈥�
Much of his display dates back decades 鈥� some as far back as the 1960s.
鈥淚 have lots of old decorations,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut I鈥檓 the oldest.鈥�
He鈥檚 only half joking.
The retired Vancouver firefighter is 87 years old.
鈥淚t鈥檚 getting to be a task,鈥� he admitted. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to climb the ladder anymore. My daughter and son-in-law and their son, they all come out and help me now. That way I can keep it going鈥� without breaking my neck.鈥�
Farmer鈥檚 drive-by Christmas light show is at 23924 68th Ave. , three houses past the road to Williams Park.
