Canfield light display making music

January 6, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

Photo

Neighbors | Emily Gianetti.The home of Alexis and Mike McAndrew lit up Fairview last Saturday night.

By EMILY GIANETTI

As soon as Thanksgiving is over, holiday decorations go up in Canfield.

But a growing trend doesn’t involve simple wreaths and garland. It involves syncing huge displays of lights to holiday music.

Mike McAndrew and his daughter, Alexis, were among the first ones to decorate so extensively. They have a unique display of 8-foot-tall candy canes and a “cosmic color ribbon tree” in front of their home on 333 Fairview Avenue.

They began back in 2006 after Mike got the idea from a television commercial. Anyone driving by their home can tune into 107.7 FM and listen and watch the lights move to holiday music.

“It started out with us and now it’s up to five houses,” said Mike, of how the idea has grown.

He mentioned several friends with homes on Tippecanoe Wood and in Villa Rosa who have followed his example.

“We help each other out.”

He says over the years his own holiday displays have also expanded. The McAndrews now buy their decorations in March or April and begin setting up in September. Usually, they run two-and-a-half miles of extension cords throughout the property to light the display.

“I like how it started bringing together our neighborhood,” said Alexis, of the neighbors’ response. “We’re like a tight-knit family now. Everyone wants to do it.”

An estimated 11,000 cars drive past throughout the season. With so much attention, the McAndrews plan on expanding the festivities even more.

This year, in addition to a visit from Santa, they are collecting cans for Second Harvest Food Bank. Cans can be dropped into bins on the McAndrews’ porch.

Mike is even planning on starting a Halloween display and will begin setting up for it in July.

“The best part is the people and their responses — what it means to the people who come watch them. They’re the driving force behind this,” said Mike.

More information on the house can be found at www.canfieldchristmaslights.com.