Santa Claus will not be able to miss Austin when he flies overhead Christmas Eve.

Monday, December 11, 2000

Santa Claus will not be able to miss Austin when he flies overhead Christmas Eve.

The city is lit.

Everywhere one goes in Austin, there are festive lights and other outdoor decorations to herald the arrival of the Christmas season.

A record crowd witnesses the official "City of Lights" lighting ceremony Nov. 25 in downtown Austin.

Austin Utilities workers did their job and when Mayor Bonnie Besse Rietz threw the switch, the entire Main Street North area came alive with thousands of lights.

Another mild fall has allowed Austin homeowners to decorate the exteriors of their homes and businesses early and in great detail.

There are a few lights and there are thousands of lighted bulbs.

There are lawn decorations with traditional Christmas characters, as well as their cartoon friends.

Lighted icicles dangle from rooftops, huge wreaths welcome visitors near front doors, trees and arborvitae are swathed in garlands of multicolored lights, Santa Claus in a sleigh pulled by reindeer prepare for take-off on rooftops, nativity scenes illuminate front lawns and Frosty the Snowman waves at passers-by.

The Austin Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a lighting contest and offering bus tours of the city’s neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, the Austin Fire Department advises families to exercise caution when decorating their homes for Christmas to avoid an accident that could mar the joy of the season.

The infamous Halloween ice storm of 1991 brought an early winter and inclement weather that stifled outdoor decorations.

Every year since, more and more homes have been decorated for the holidays in Austin and for one family, friends make the difference.

Friends decorate backyard

At the Cheryl Wallace residence, 108 13th St. NE, the display is simply dazzling.

It can be seen in all its glory from the east banks of East Side Lake along Oakland Place NE.

There may be no other display like it in all of Austin.

Wallace, the former owner of the Park Plaza Lounge (now Trader Bar and Grill) in downtown Austin, does not enter the city’s lighting contest, but there’s no telling how often her display would win the top prize.

"I’ve lived here for about 11 years," she said of the attractive two-story home on the west bank of East Side Lake near the dam. "I don’t have to decorate. My friends do it for me. For the last nine years, between 20 and 30 friends come over and do all the work for me. They’re great."

Beginning Thanksgiving Day, the lights are turned on at sunset. Before the lake’s waters freeze, East Side Lake provides a mirrorlike image of the lights, doubling the visual pleasures. When the lake freezes, as it now is, the reflection of the lights is enhanced.

Cars stop along Oakland Place NE near the Austin Coca Cola Bottling Co. (First Avenue NE) intersection to allow their passengers to admire the Christmas scene.

"I don’t know how many lights there are, but there are a lot," said Wallace.

Fortunately, Wallace has not been the victim of vandalism as happens so often in December. That’s true, in part, because the lights are on her private property in her back yard leading to the lake.

Next door, Hugo and Ruth Gomer have the front lawn of their house decorated like many other residents.

Other lake side residents also decorate their private yards, front and back, to create a ring of Christmas lights around the lake.

In the Wallace home, the mother’s son, Dezi, a member of the Six Mile Grove band, is the only other family member responsible for ensuring no bulbs fail or luminaries topple over.

Mother and son will also have to take down the decorations when the Christmas season ends.

"We leave them up until New Year’s Day and then we put them away for another year. Unfortunately, all my friends who help put them up don’t return for this job," joked Wallace.

Christmas, the season, and decorating her home has been a life-long pursuit for Wallace.

"I love the lights. I love the big trees that are decorated. I just love Christmas," she said.

‘Common sense, caution’

All that glitters at Christmastime is not entirely harmless.

Dangers lurk both indoors and out when care is not taken with home decorations.

Austin Fire Department shift commander, Don Lenz, doesn’t want the holiday season to be spoiled by a fire emergency.

"Common sense and caution go hand in hand at Christmastime," said Lenz.

The veteran firefighter advises families to purchase only UL-listed strings of lights of "good quality." He also said, "Don’t overload a circuit. That can cause problems and dangerous situations, too."

Lenz said natural Christmas trees must be watered both for nurturing their beauty through the holiday season and as a fire safety precaution.

"When needles start to fall off or needles fail to spring back into position when you tough a branch, that’s a sign the tree is drying out and dangers could occur," said Lenz.

The firefighter said a Christmas tree should never be left lit when there is nobody home.

Also, modern "twinkle" lights are a less danger on a Christmas tree than other, larger bulbs that generate more heat next to tree needles and branches as well as some inflammable decorations.

Candles are another interior decoration that could result in fire hazards.

Lenz advised having a large base container for the larger candles to ensure hot wax doesn’t spill onto a table. He also said to keep candles away from combustible materials and "Never leave a room where there is a lit candle."

While families enjoy hanging stockings by the chimney with care in hopes that Santa Claus will be there, Lenz, once again playing Grinch, said it shouldn’t be done.

"For those people with open fireplaces, that can generate a lot of heat in the winter, there should be no stockings dangling from the mantle," he said.

As far as exterior decorations go, Lenz said an exterior outlet is the safest opposed to extension cords running into the home or garage.

Again, the rule of common sense and caution applies," said Lenz. "When decorating outside, notice if the electrical cords are frayed and be careful when climbing a ladder to decorate the house or trees outdoors."

Contest for all

Sandy Forstner, executive director of the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, is in the midst of his first Christmas In The City celebration.

Forstner came on board the Chamber of Commerce earlier this year and is already making an impact.

This year’s Christmas In The City lighting contest will see that impact.

One of the innovations being tried this year is a People’s Choice award. Those residents who take the City of Lights bus tour Dec. 19, will be able to vote for their favorite residential decorations in the four quadrants of the city, according to Forstner. The People’s Choice award-winners will each receive $50 in Chamber Bucks.

Entries in this year’s contest were due Dec. 8. Winners will be notified after judges make their decision.

Last year’s winners included:

Northeast: Jerry and Millie Sines, 1919 Fifth Ave. NE.

Northwest: Roger and Karen Jacobs, 201 12th Place NW.

Southeast: Matt Clark, 215 10th Ave. SE.

Southwest: Bob Waldron, 1204 18th St. SW.

This year’s lighting contest-winners will be included in the Dec. 19 City of Lights bus tour. The bus will pick up people at Pickett Place, The Cedars of Austin, Twin Towers, Austin High School and the Mower County Senior Center.

For more information about the lighting contest, call the Chamber at 437-4561.