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Welcome Visitor #
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| GFTG
2005
FAQ's |
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How many Lights are in the show this year?
Up from 78,000 last year to over 100,000 this year. This does not include back
yard and interior lights we have also used.
How do you make the lights move?
In 2005 we have upgraded from our
original light controller board to a new
system from Animated Lighting specifically designed for animation shows of all
kinds. This system also has the ability to integrate with a software program
called Animation Director. We received and installed the new hardware and
software Thanksgiving week, which forced us to learn the basics on the new
system pretty quickly. Because
Animation Director is robust with many features
and options we didn't have before it proved to be much more challenging that we
expected. The good news is that each week the show is running we learn something
new and add more to the show. We now have a
whopping 128 channels compared to our previous years 16 channels.
How Did it All Start?
We have always loved Christmas lights, but we haven't always been this out of
control. Several years ago Russ was running a resort at
Lake Lanier Islands.
Each year the island hosted a light show that brought crowds from all over the
SE called "Magical Nights of Lights"
(MNOL). His position required heavy
involvement managing all kinds of details for this incredible display. When we
left Georgia and came to Florida - there was no more MNOL, so our house became
the palette. With each year it just gets bigger and bigger!
When do you start turning the lights on?
The "Lighting of the Chateau" is almost always Thanksgiving weekend. We invite
the neighbors (which helps get them motivated for their own decorations!) and
many of those who had some part of making it all happen. Its the first taste
test of Russ' eggnog and just a fun kick off to the holiday season.
How do you set it all up and not overload your power panel?
Russ has an excel
spreadsheet which tracks the light count, but there are always
those last minute add-ons each year that won't make it to the
spreadsheet until
next year!
Do you do all of this work yourselves?
It would be impossible for us to do this all by ourselves. There is a list of
individuals that have helped us in a variety of ways. You might be surprised at
some of things required to pull the Glow together. We hope each and everyone of
them know how much their help is appreciated!
When did you start working on this years show?
Show planning starts as early as Christmas the previous year. Once we have our
show in place our minds begin to critique what we have done and we are flooded
with ideas for the following year. We try to make notes of these things so we
don't loose track of them when the next Christmas rolls around. In September we
begin a basic plan and Russ begins work on the power spreadsheet.
Do you have stock in Gulf Power?
With 320 amps of power dedicated to the show you would think we should, but we
do not. One year we attempted to gain Gulf Power as a sponsor (see Becky's plea
from 2001). They respectfully declined.
How do you decide on design & colors for the show?
In September we take pictures from previous years and review what we thought was
good and bad. We then take a picture of our home undecorated and print it out in
black & white copy so we can draft our ideas and somehow it all comes together.
When will the show for year be over?
The last show this year will likely be December 31st, 2005.
The show is usually on from 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM central time.
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