Bright ideas: Holiday light displays aglow throughout valley

Thursday, Dec. 20, 2001 | 8:33 a.m.

Glistening in the hills overlooking Lake Mead is the Dennett House. For six weeks during the holiday season, nearly 100,000 blinking and blazing miniature lights saturate the family's two adjacent properties.

Glowing plastic snowmen, Santas and lighted manger figures illuminate what is an otherwise ordinary yard.

So popular and sometimes surprising is the spectacle that cars crossing Hoover Dam from Arizona into Nevada turn onto Alpine Road and slow to a crawl as drivers and passengers gawk at the jeweled landscape. Others make a special trip to Boulder City from Las Vegas.

"One Christmas Eve we counted almost 250 cars," Karolee Dennett said, recalling the busy nights of cars shuffling outside and people peering down the driveway to get a closer look at all that involves the family's enthusiastic effort.

"There have been years where there have been 100 cars a night," she said.

Why? Because even in Las Vegas, a city known for its tendency to splurge a little on lighting spectacles, people are still hungry for the thrill of the electrical holiday spirit.

"We don't have a lot of areas where (people) can go and see holiday lights," said Brenda Meehan, whose event company, Meehan & Associates, brought the Gift of Lights, a drive-through holiday light attraction, to Sunset Park this year.

"People loved Hondo Court," Meehan said, "and they just don't do it anymore."

Those who have lived in Las Vegas long enough can probably recall Hondo Court, the once-famous Christmas cul de sac in southeast Las Vegas that drew locals from miles around to gaze at the abundance of Christmas decor strapped to trees, built in yards and draped from houses.

The neighborhood effort dissipated a few years ago, but still rings in the memory of those who roamed its streets in Christmases past.

But for Southern Nevadans who are searching these final days before Christmas for twinkling lights and holiday-themed attractions, there are a few stops worthy of the making.

Candyland

To get to the Dennett house from Las Vegas, travel U.S. 93 south to Boulder City. Pass the town's two stoplights and continue on Nevada Highway. Turn left onto Avenue I take a left onto Alpine road.

At this point you will have already seen the house and will be trying to break from your state of wonder long enough to pull your car to the side of the road, step out and have a closer look.

This is welcomed. A sign at the top of the driveway invites visitors to walk along the driveway to experience more closely the lighted decor. If you arrive at the right time, chances are that one of the six Dennett children will run out to greet visitors with a basket of candy canes to greet you.

If not, then you'll surely feel welcomed by the plastic lighted angels in the olive trees, the lighted manger-scene characters at the top of driveway and the speakers playing Christmas music to accompany the stroll under a canopy of blue lights.

Large, white-plastic snowflakes can be seen dangling from the ceiling of the family's living room. Looking out from the picture windows are animated Santa and Mrs. Claus characters wriggling harmoniously with the Christmas music, as well as stuffed reindeers and toy soldiers.

Lights are draped across the grounds and landscaping. Lighted plastic characters line the base of the driveway.

Don Dennett said that he has to trim all of the trees before the family can put up the lights. The family starts putting them up around Halloween. The majority of them are hung by Thanksgiving, when the switch is turned on. The lights are displayed through the second week of January.

So much is expected of this house each year that if the family dares to leave for a few days, the neighbors will switch on the lights on so spectators won't be disappointed.

"Every year we think, 'Uh-oh Christmas is coming,' " Don Dennett said with a laugh.

Magical Forest

Las Vegas transplants longing for the dreamy nostalgia of Christmas in small-town U.S.A. may find solace at Opportunity Village's Magical Forest on East Oakey Drive.

A fund-raiser for Opportunity Village, a local organization that provides vocational training, education and recreational activities for people with mental retardation, the forest boasts 3 million lights. It also features crafts, a train ride that weaves through several hundred evergreen trees and 50 holiday and wintry displays that were designed and handmade by area groups and businesses.

"We came last year," said Tobi Conners as she recently sauntered through the forest with her husband and 2-year-old twins. "We're going to make it a tradition."

With a murmur of voices trailing behind on the winding Christmas pathways, a chill in the air and children eating funnel cakes and sipping hot cider, it doesn't get anymore old-fashioned.

The craft barn sells holiday ornaments and decorations and displays gingerbread houses made by chefs from area casinos.

The Magical Forest is open 5-10 p.m. daily through Dec. 29. Admission is $4 for children and $6 for adults. For more information, call 225-TREE.

Drive-through display

New this holiday season is the mile-long stretch of holiday cheer at Sunset Park on South Eastern Avenue and Sunset Road, called The Gift of Lights.

The attraction, a winding road through the park that is flanked by more than 50 lighted and animated holiday displays, has drawn more than 12,000 cars since it opened Nov. 15.

For $10 per car, visitors and groups can turn on a little holiday music, roll down the windows and drive through the event that features such lighted displays as toy-filled sleighs, electric poinsettias, tractors, trucks, menorahs, dreidels, turtle doves, French hens, golden rings and a partridge in a pear tree.

Toward the end of the stretch cars drive through a twinkling tunnel of more than 250,000 lights.

The displays were constructed by Cicero, Ind., holiday lighting company Winterland Inc.

Meehan said the idea was inspired by a similar display she had seen in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The Griffith Park display is an annual tradition, and Meehan said that Meehan & Associates plans to make The Gift of Lights a tradition in Las Vegas.

"We thought it would work well in Las Vegas," she said. "Now that we know the lay of the land and that we're going to be doing it next year ... we've already been thinking of ways to make it better."

Local companies sponsor different displays. Partial proceeds from the attraction will benefit the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department's scholarship fund. Goodwill of Southern Nevada is collecting donations at the entrance. Visitors who bring a bag of clothes to donate will receive $2 off the admission price.

Hours are 5-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, through Jan. 1. Call 451-1641.

Other holiday displays

Ethel M Chocolate factory, 2 Cactus Garden Drive, Henderson, continues its tradition of adorning the several hundred cacti and trees in its garden with more than 100,000 lights.

The garden is lit from 4:30-11 p.m., through Jan 3. Admission to the garden is free.

Palm Mortuary's properties, at 7600 S. Eastern Ave. and 6701 N. Jones Blvd., have decorated their entrances for the holidays and invite the public to drive through the cemeteries from dusk to midnight.

Lamb of God Lutheran Church, 6220 N. Jones Blvd., will present a living nativity pageant through Saturday. A live nativity scene will be at 5:30 p.m. A musical production will be at 7 p.m.

The city of Henderson held its 2001 Holiday Decorating Contest on Dec. 4.

Winners for the use of lights are residents Tonya and Jason Nimark, 914 High Plains Drive; Greg and Ruth Daymon, 839 Palo Verde Drive; and David Berard, 241 W. Rochelle Drive.

Winners for children's displays are Richard Odell, 236 Concho Lane; James Flynn, 2203 Marlboro Drive; and Rina and Bill Moss, 981 Upper Meadows Place.

Winners for handmade displays are Govanna Jones, 23 Church St.; and Robert Buck, 304 Glasgow St.

Winners for modern displays are Marlon Harvey, 985 Crescent Meadows Court; the Hughes Family, 1159 Ekalaka Road; and Roberta Payne, 2246 Maple Shade St.

Other winners include the Miller Family, 2079 Smoketree Village Circle; Alex Panattoni, 1013 Beaver Crest Terrace; and Tony Valenti and Theresa Sberna, 210 W. Highland Drive (for their patriotic display).

Winning group entries include 1765-1780 Quiver Pointe Ave.; 2000-2010 Roberts Road; 1285 and 1291 Brenalee Ave.; 2006 Darla St.; 1280 and 1298 Dalene Ave.; 2000, 2001 and 2012 Cullen St.; and 706-712 Honeybee Court.

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