Flesher family will flip switch on Christmas light display Friday [hat]
With a circuit that now includes five electrical meters, 7,000 feet of electrical wiring, hundreds of extension cords and more than 2 million lights, Flesher family members will jump-start Christmas season when they open their annual light display to the public this week.
The Fleshers have created the lavish display at their eastern Bonita Springs farm for most of the past 25 years.
It is a family labor of love that this year started with infrastructure work in September and will culminate when the lights go on and the first visitor arrives Friday evening.
"If we get the word out, I'm hoping for 75,000 to 100,000 visitors," said Chuck Flesher, who was finishing off the display Monday with his mother Margaret, his daughter Roxanne, and his teenage grandsons Mark and Steven.
The Fleshers have placed hundreds of inflatable Christmas figures, lighted deer, a Christmas train, a moving doll carousel, a Nativity scene and countless lights across two acres of the farm, which sits on Bonita Grande Drive just north of Bonita Beach Road.
The farm's garage and outbuildings are replete with electric trains, Christmas trees, shiny ornaments, vintage moving toys and Christmas dolls.
The family's horses will be decked in Santa hats, and each will have a stall adorned with a Christmas stocking.
A dozen volunteers will direct visitors who park in an improvised lot that can hold 500 cars, Flesher said.
"It does get a little bigger each year," he said. "I think we're one of the biggest displays in Southwest Florida that hasn't gone commercial. We don't want to do that, we want to keep it fun."
Chuck Flesher took over the project after the death of his father, Charlie, in 1999, and illness of older brother, Bud, who now lives in Georgia.
Charlie and Bud Flesher created the first display in 1986.
Chuck Flesher said he started mostly from scratch after a three-year hiatus ended in 2009, which has allowed him to count the lights as he buys more strings each year.
Flesher places most of the electrical lines and lights but lets daughter Roxanne check and replace the bulbs.
"I don't mind the work, but I don't have the patience to check the lights," he said. "When they all come on and they all stay on, I'm happy as a peacock."Margaret Flesher said that despite initial reluctance, reinstituting the yearly display has been a blessing for her.
"My favorite part is standing in front of the garage, greeting the people who come," she said. "I get lots and lots of hugs."
A decorated table with spiral notebooks that serve as guest books also greets visitors. Slots in the table allow the guests to donate to local charitable causes.
"Some people sign in and give money, some don't want to do either," said Chuck Flesher. "It's OK either way, we just want them to come."
This year, proceeds will benefit an Optimist Club scholarship program and a Lehigh Acres teen.
Notebooks from years past list guests from as far away as Germany and Italy. Guests also write short comments on the display.
Although the Fleshers haven't counted all the names in their guest books, they enjoy reading the comments.
"Some of the visitors have been here as kids and have then brought their kids and on down the line," said Margaret Flesher. "It's become a real tradition."
The Fleshers have created the lavish display at their eastern Bonita Springs farm for most of the past 25 years.
It is a family labor of love that this year started with infrastructure work in September and will culminate when the lights go on and the first visitor arrives Friday evening.
"If we get the word out, I'm hoping for 75,000 to 100,000 visitors," said Chuck Flesher, who was finishing off the display Monday with his mother Margaret, his daughter Roxanne, and his teenage grandsons Mark and Steven.
The Fleshers have placed hundreds of inflatable Christmas figures, lighted deer, a Christmas train, a moving doll carousel, a Nativity scene and countless lights across two acres of the farm, which sits on Bonita Grande Drive just north of Bonita Beach Road.
The farm's garage and outbuildings are replete with electric trains, Christmas trees, shiny ornaments, vintage moving toys and Christmas dolls.
The family's horses will be decked in Santa hats, and each will have a stall adorned with a Christmas stocking.
A dozen volunteers will direct visitors who park in an improvised lot that can hold 500 cars, Flesher said.
"It does get a little bigger each year," he said. "I think we're one of the biggest displays in Southwest Florida that hasn't gone commercial. We don't want to do that, we want to keep it fun."
Chuck Flesher took over the project after the death of his father, Charlie, in 1999, and illness of older brother, Bud, who now lives in Georgia.
Charlie and Bud Flesher created the first display in 1986.
Chuck Flesher said he started mostly from scratch after a three-year hiatus ended in 2009, which has allowed him to count the lights as he buys more strings each year.
Flesher places most of the electrical lines and lights but lets daughter Roxanne check and replace the bulbs.
"I don't mind the work, but I don't have the patience to check the lights," he said. "When they all come on and they all stay on, I'm happy as a peacock."Margaret Flesher said that despite initial reluctance, reinstituting the yearly display has been a blessing for her.
"My favorite part is standing in front of the garage, greeting the people who come," she said. "I get lots and lots of hugs."
A decorated table with spiral notebooks that serve as guest books also greets visitors. Slots in the table allow the guests to donate to local charitable causes.
"Some people sign in and give money, some don't want to do either," said Chuck Flesher. "It's OK either way, we just want them to come."
This year, proceeds will benefit an Optimist Club scholarship program and a Lehigh Acres teen.
Notebooks from years past list guests from as far away as Germany and Italy. Guests also write short comments on the display.
Although the Fleshers haven't counted all the names in their guest books, they enjoy reading the comments.
"Some of the visitors have been here as kids and have then brought their kids and on down the line," said Margaret Flesher. "It's become a real tradition."
2011-11-29 14:16
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