Thursday’s column: Lights brighten stellar neighborhood
Some of the neighbors on Arlington Road in the Raleigh Court neighborhood who created an unusual and interesting coordinated holiday lights display. (Left to right) Spencer Duval, Madison Duval, Ella Scoville, Jane Bailey, Gibson Scoville, Ben Scoville, Olivia Burkett, Julia Burkett, Nicole Lenderking, Jack Lenderking and Nancy Duval . The display is in front of 10 homes near the intersection with Windsor Avenue. Photos by STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS | The Roanoke Times
On recent nights, the cars have been creeping along the 1700 block of Arlington Road in Roanoke’s Raleigh Court neighborhood.
It’s a narrow street anyway, but since Thanksgiving weekend, drivers there have been a bit more distracted. That’s because of the large, 18-inch or so diameter white-lighted balls hanging from the trees.
There are more than 40 of them, strung up in front of 10 houses on the block’s northern end at Windsor Avenue. They create an odd, almost otherworldly effect that’s pretty cool. I’ve never seen any holiday display quite like it in the Roanoke Valley.
Behind it are a handful of women who live there: Jane Bailey, Nicole Lenderking, Julia Burkett, and Nicole Duval,who lives a few blocks away. They love the block, and they and their neighbors have a lot of fun.
Call it a bit of friendly holiday-decoration competition with Westover Avenue, which is just a few blocks away. At least one house on that street has an elaborate Christmas lights setup that looks like the Las Vegas strip.
“We decided last year we wanted to try something to outdo them,” said Julia Burkett, who’s lived on Arlington for six and a half years.
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Photo by STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS | The Roanoke Times
December 6, 2012 - 6:00 AM
You should check out the Westover Ave. neighborhood near the coop , the folks have always done a super decorating that is beautiful.
We noticed these last Friday night on the way to the Grandin theater, and immediately started trying to figure out how to make one ourselves. The street looks beautiful.
Unfortunately the Fitz’s house that is so famous on Westover has been dark for the past two years. Very sad. Not sure why. Doesn’t feel like Christmas without it.
I live in the block of Arlington on the other side of Sherwood. We are trying to get our block involved in doing this too. The spheres are beautiful and easy to make.
I saw a video on YouTube where folks were using a potato gun to shoot the wires high up into their tress. Now that would be fun.
#3 Megan, Cherry Fitzgerald, the woman who lived there, died. I know she had a lot of fun over the years searching out yard sale and after holiday bargains to add to her display. Her sons helped her put it all up and take it down.
Bill Perdue…until they have to figure out how to get them down.
Kristen, good point! Actually, most of the folks are throwing a string over the branch and then tie the extension cord to the string and pull the lights and the cord up to the place in the tree.
These ball lights are great – Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia fills the trees throughout the park with colorful light balls at the holidays and it is stunning.