tool name

close
tool goes here

Richland light display shows Cougar pride

Published: Dec. 16, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. PSTUpdated: Dec. 17, 2012 at 3:47 p.m. PST
0 comments
Mark Showalter designed and made most of the displays for his home at the corner of Queensgate Drive and Alla Vista Street in Richland. The lights are synced to music that viewers can hear on FM radios. ShowalterÕs favorite part of the show is the Washington State University fight song. (RICHARD DICKIN/Tri-City Herald)

Most every component of the expansive light display outside of Mark Showalter's Richland home he designed and built himself.

He made the low arches of lights near the street out of PVC pipe and used inverted tomato plant cages to create short Christmas trees.

At night, the whole display -- made up of 42,000 LED lights -- flashes and dazzles in sync with 30 minutes of holiday music Showalter programmed himself.

But its when the lights dancing in tune with the Washington State University fight song 10 minutes into the show is the diehard Coug's favorite.

But you'd expect nothing less from the WSU alumnus who also named his yellow Lab "Butch" for the WSU mascot, and then taught the dog to go berserk at the mere mention of "Huskies" -- the cross-state rival.

This is the third year he has put up a light display at his home on the corner of Queensgate Drive and Alla Vista Street. He's spent an increasing amount of time designing and building the display.

"It's a great kind of creative outlet," Showalter told the Herald.

Last year was the first time Showalter incorporated the WSU fight song. He had friends over to watch the Apple Cup, the annual football game between WSU and the University of Washington.

Showalter said he and all his guests, some of them UW Husky fans, went outside during halftime to premiere the lights for the holiday season.

He opted to include it in this year's display as well, and he said a number of his neighbors have come by to thank him for it, even when he's out setting it up long before Christmas.

"It's funny because I start putting this up before Halloween," he said.

The display at 1300 Alla Vista is turned on between 5 and 10 p.m. weekdays and 5 and 11 p.m. weekends.

People coming to watch it can set a radio to 89.5 FM to listen to the music in sync with the display, thanks to a low-power transmitter Showalter has installed.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here

We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.

CONTESTS

Similar stories

  • Texas loses Harrison until All-Star break

    Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Friday that Matt Harrison, their opening-day starting pitcher, is scheduled for back surgery and won’t be back until after the All-Star break in mid-July.

  • Pac-12 study finds no abuse in WSU football

    A Pac-12 investigation found no evidence of physical or mental abuse of players in the Washington State football program.

  • Tri-City light displays dance in the night

    At a time when most people are thinking of Trick or Treat, turkey and pumpkin pie, others -- such as Tim and Timmer Trevis of Kennewick and Mark and Cristina Harris of Richland -- have Christmas on their minds.

    The Harris family began putting up holiday lights at the end of September.

    "I used to wait until November, but with a two-and-a-half story house it's best not to be on the roof when it's slippery. It gets a little scary being up there in the freezing cold putting lights up along the roof edge when you can't feel your fingers," Mark Harris said.

  • West Richland man's fountain celebrates the season

    Scott Schneider admires the fountains at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. He now has a mini-version in his front yard -- with a holiday twist. The 41-year-old West Richland man spent months designing and building a dancing fountain, complete with shooting water and lights.

  • Harbor Lights set to reopen after remodel

    When the Anthony’s Restaurants chain bought Tacoma’s Harbor Lights restaurant on Ruston Way 13 years ago, it faced the challenge of keeping alive Harbor Lights’ long legacy of fine dining and signature food items under a new ownership.