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A couple of years ago, a light bulb went on for Colin Bates.
Now, there are tens of thousands of them.
Bates is behind Rigby Lights ? possibly the coolest Christmas light display in the country, if not the geekiest.
Four consecutive Pickering houses on Rigby Dr., at Liverpool Rd. north of Finch Ave., are linked together for a light show synchronized to holiday music. It?s the only light show of its kind in Canada.
?A few years back, I was watching some really amazing light displays on YouTube with my kids and we said to ourselves, ?Hey, we can do that,? so we did,? Bates said.
He started with his own house in 2010, then expanded to include three neighbouring homes last year. As soon as the Halloween decorations come down, Bates ? who owns a commercial cleaning company and does this as a hobby ? starts work on the Christmas display.
The lights are connected to controllers which receive instructions from a computer that runs the synchronization. The music is broadcast through a low-power radio frequency ? 104.9 FM ? that transmits only to the immediate area. There are also speakers outside the homes.
?Those are not very loud, as we like and respect our neighbours,? Bates said.
The display only uses LED lighting and the power consumption for an evening?s show is the equivalent to having a dishwasher run for 30 minutes, he added.
?We?re thrilled to be a part of it,? neighbour Shirley Van Steen said. ?In addition to sharing in the Christmas spirit, the group of us collect donations from visitors for Durham women?s shelters.?
Last year, the Rigby Lights crew raised more than $1,000 and filled five truckloads of new, unwrapped toys for the YWCA Durham Y?s Wish Shelter and the Denise House, both in Oshawa, and the Herizon House in Ajax.
First-time visitors Jackie Miner, 50, and Paula Morrison, 54, said they had never seen anything like it in person.
?It?s as if the houses are dancing,? Morrison said.
The display was ?classy?, added Miner. ?Sometimes houses are covered in lights and it?s tacky. This is just beautiful.?
For hours and directions, go to rigbylights.ca.
Do you have a Christmas display you're particularly proud of? We want your holiday decoration photos. Submit them to us by e-mailing christmas@scribblelive.com or tweeting us with the hashtag #TOSunChristmas ? then surf over to torontosun.com/christmas to check out the submissions.
Do you have Christmas lights up at your home?
Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/12/08/pickering-christmas-lights-one-of-a-kind-in-canada
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