Benhams make the holidays bright in their neighborhood

The Kentucky Standard
December 12, 2009
By Carrie Pride

You want to make your holidays a little lighter?

The annual Benham family Christmas Light Show is under way in Bardstown. Hope and Tim Benham began a now three-year tradition of a light-o-rama in their neighborhood of Creek Chase Subdivision. The light show extraordinaire was the brainchild of the couple after starting on a much smaller scale of just one music box and a few lights around their home at 128 Glenview Drive.

"We belong to a forum of people across the United States who do this very same thing where they live," Hope Benham said. " We are always online watching other videos and getting more ideas of what to do the next year."

The Benham Family Christmas Light Show in Creek Chase Subdivision is a computerized light show with more than 32,000 lights that dance to music. The lights change and dance in red, green and white.

The light-o-rama is a box controller system consisting of 16 channels on a computer sequencing program. The lights are programmed into the system with several songs. The MP3 file is uploaded into channel sequencing telling the lights what to do. Effects of the lights can be programmed to flash, go off and on or fade in and out. Each channel is assigned a specific element of the show and the music is shared within light-o-rama. Each song breaks down on beat with flashing (dancing) lights.

"We also have break intervals during the show with voice-overs compiled of thank yous and Christmas greetings," Benham said. "We get the most feedback from visitors on the segment about if the power goes out we go into ‘hamster power.' People think it's really cute and funny," she said.

This year's light show has more than 32,000 lights and 96 computer controlled channels of animation. Connecting all those lights takes more than one mile of extension cords.

"We are concentrating on red, green and white lights for some very cool effects this year. Our leaping arches are returning for an encore presentation as are the falling snowflakes and Santa in his chimney. We have replaced the large flag-pole tree from last year with a 12-foot ‘mega-tree' that contains a total of 3,200 red and green lights. Also new for 2009 are 9 ‘mini trees' consisting of 600 red, white and green lights on each tree," the Benhams said on their Web site.

The entire production is a year-long process with opening day on Thanksgiving every year with their entire family gathering outside to begin the season.

"This is something my husband and I are extremely passionate about and our family, neighbors and community really support us in what we do," Benham said. "We are now planning a light show for Halloween night next year, on a much smaller scale, of course," she said.

The show runs nightly 5:30-10 p.m. through New Year's Eve. The Benham family does ask visitors to follow a few rules.

• As you get close to the house, please turn off your main headlights, but keep your parking lights on for safety.
• Tune your radio to 92.3 FM to hear the music and watch the light show from the warmth of your own car.
• Please respect our neighbors and do not block their driveways, park on their lawns or leave trash anywhere.
• When you are finished watching the show, please follow the directional signs out of the neighborhood. Please do not turn around in the neighbors' driveways.
• WARNING: For those who may be subject to seizures, please be aware that strobe lights are used in several songs.