Candy Cane Displays: Enchanted Lights of Greater Trail
Written by Administrator
Friday, 21 December 2007
Residential elves have been busy again this year
They might not look like elves, but Beaver Valley residents Heather and Richard Hammer, who live across from the old supermarket at 1097 Highway 3B in Beaver Falls between Montrose and Fruitvale BC spend a few full day's every year to dress their yard up for the Festive Holiday season. And a growing number of other residents from this area have been busy this past few weeks setting up their individual residential big Holiday Season gift for everyone who passes by to enjoy.
Candy Cane Lanes and setting up home light displays have been a holiday tradition for many homeowners in Canada and the US. And our area is seeing an increase in light displays despite the rise in electrical, gas and utility costs. Many home owners seem to pay no regard to the added costs of setting up their yard and home displays. They just do it to bring about joy to others.
In the past few years I have noticed that more homes in the Trail Rossland area and communities in the Montrose Fruitvale Valley region are adding more elaborate decorative light displays brightening up their neighbourhoods to delight the children in the community, both young and elderly.
As the holiday season approaches, talk of new displays and light purchases prevails, and I can only imagine that joy givers such as the Hammers must lay awake at night throughout the year leading up to the holidays season, thinking up and planning new and wonderful ways to make their displays even more enjoyable.
If you plan to take a drive to see the seasonal lights, the Hammer's Christmas Stroll is enchanting and a must see display of lights.
Dec 19th, 2007: Enchanted Lights on Hwy 3B in Beaver Valley
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The Trail Chamber staff spoke with Heather Hammer in early November after I had taken some photos while touring their amazing Halloween yard display. And she told Christine that they begin setting up their seasonal enchanted village a short 40 days after taking down their awe inspiring goblins and ghouls yard extravaganza. Beginning December 9th, their spare time is completely absorbed each day of the week checking their old lights, untangling them, and stringing them with the addition of new lights. The result is a spectacular display of happy holiday lights.
Each year the Heather and Richard add another display to grow their holiday season themes to encompass their whole yard and house for the joy of all to see. They don’t seem to worry at all about the electrical bills, as they do this for every major seasonal event.
Take a Christmas Stroll through their yard and enjoy it all up close. You’ll get mesmerized with thoughts of the holidays, and soon realize by looking around at the time and dedication it must take to set up their Holiday Season Enchanted Village of colored lights and character displays.
The Enchanted Christmas Stroll light display at 1097 Hwy 3B is available 5 pm to 8 pm daily - Donations are accepted for the local food banks.
By taking an early evening drive through any sub-division in this area, I am finding that more residents are putting up a great light spectacles. Although most every one of them is on a smaller scale than the Hammers labour of joy, each home that sets up any display is done for the same reason. To purely bring joy for all who want to get into the spirit of the holiday season.
This past week, I helped my older brother Neil to set up a display at his home on Marianna Crescent for all to ooh and aah at the lightshow display synchronized to seasonal musical favorites such as Silent Night and Rudolf The Red Nose Reindeer. I can now see why the Hammers and other residents of this area are getting more into this entertaining tradition.
It's enjoyable, gives people a theme of lights to get out for a walk or a drive in the early evening during the holidays, and it makes people, especially children smile with joy.
Dec 22, 2007: Enchanted Lights of Montrose
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Take a drive through the Village of Montrose and you'll see some delightful light displays on many of the homes. All along Highway 3B, homes are lit up as you drive by making it a real treat to drive home from work anticipating an evening by the fireplace with family and friends during the holiday season.
Dec 22, 2007: Enchanted Lights of Fruitvale
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Fruitvale is a contender for the Village with the most lights displayed. If you drive up and down many of the streets in Fruitvale you'll see light displays on the front of homes. One display is absolutely spectacular. Drive from downtown Fruitvale past the liquor store and up the hill, and look to your left. This house has one of the nicest displays I've seen in recent years.
Next year, my brother wants to build the start of Santa's Village, so I'll have to get him going on the planning earlier in the year so I don't freeze my cheeks off again climbing the ladder to attach the light strings in the bone chilling wind like I did this past week.
I can remember back in the 1960's, my mom and dad used to take me, my brothers and sister and my friends every year to see the lights. We'd all pile into my dad's 1962 Chevy II four-door sedan, and drive up and down the streets in each sub-division in the Trail area. The car was so jam packed with excitement, all of us oohing and aahing at all the awesome decorations.
The Candy Cane lane tradition has been going on for more than fifty years with residents who have the honor/curse of putting up lights and decorations being passed down from generation to generation or homeowner to homeowner. This year, more people are setting up more elaborate decorative displays in the Greater Trail area, and the highway between Glenmerry, Montrose and Fruitvale is seeing some pretty awesome decorations, as are other areas in this region.
You’ll see a house at the top of the Montrose highway from Trail where Santa can be seen climbing up a beautifully lit ladder to tramp along the roofline to climb down the chimney. And the simplicity of this set up is no namby pamby neighborhood Christmas light decorating … but obviously some late night thinking on the residents part to display something that will inspire anyone to think of the holiday spirit. After taking the time to drive around exploring the region's communities and sub-divisions you'll probably get inspired to leave out some egg nog and cookies in the living room for the jolly man in the bright red suit.
If you cruise down the highway with all the other oohers and aahers…it's probably best to pull off to a safe parking location and walk along the side street safely off the highway. No matter how old and “mature” you get, you can always ooh and aah at some pretty lights. If you see a darkened house, it's likely the resident may have turned of the display lights for the night, or it could be the home of elderly residents who have difficulty setting up the displays, or people of different religious backgrounds who don't celebrate Christmas.
As you reflect about what the holidays will bring this next few weeks - however you may celebrate it or not - I hope you feel nothing but warmth and happiness.
Randy McCallum is an award-winning graphic designer and developer of Web-based CMS (content management systems), web sites, and web portal software applications for clients in Canada, USA and Europe. RandyMac is the core web portal designer and consultant developer of the Trail Chamber's new Web portal.
Community 
They might not look like elves, but Beaver Valley residents Heather and Richard Hammer, 
Candy Cane Lanes and setting up home light displays have been a holiday tradition for many homeowners in Canada and the US. And our area is seeing an increase in light displays despite the rise in electrical, gas and utility costs. Many home owners seem to pay no regard to the added costs of setting up their yard and home displays. They just do it to bring about joy to others.
