MORRISDALE – A huge Christmas display in Morrisdale is trying to bring us all hope during the dark days of 2020.
Noah Shingledecker, a 2020 graduate of West Branch High School, has put a few months of work into the exhibit, which includes numerous inflatable figures, lights, projectors and trees making one the biggest private Christmas light shows in the area.
Noah explained he decorates for each holiday with Christmas being the grand finale of his year.
Although he has been doing this for a few years now, this year’s effort is the largest he has ever attempted.
“I realized with COVID and everyone being locked up, there are only a few places to go,” he said, so he decided to lighten up this depressing year with an amazing Christmas display.
He explained that he isn’t doing it for fame or attention but to “bring people’s spirits up for the holiday.”
His annual display has been popular for a while with him receiving numerous texts and personal Facebook messages each year about its status.
This year he had over 400 people asking about it before the season got started, which led him to create a separate Facebook page, “Christmas Display 2020” for people to keep up on what he is doing with his exhibition and share other information.
At the beginning of the month, he sent the link to friends who kept sharing it and the page “just took off” within 24 hours.
Currently the page has 502 people following it in order to receive the latest updates including the hours for the show and weather conditions.
Weather impacts the display because high wind keeps him from inflating many of the figures and if there is light snow or rain, he will still have everything lit, but you will not be able to get “the full effect”, he said.
It is located at 100 Turner Rd., in Morrisdale.
As you go from the Bigler light towards Allport, you need to take Sington Road to the right, he explained.
You will go down a dip that locals call “Sally’s Bottom”. After you see a barn, the next right is Turner Road. Then the display is the last house on the left, he said.
Noah encourages people to take photos and videos to share the love.
However, if you get out of your vehicle, he said you need to put on a mask, unless you and your family are the only ones around.
Usually, he takes it down at the end of December, but because of the response he has gotten so far, he is going to try to keep it up until the end of January.
A project this big takes time and Noah said he started right after Halloween when he took down that holiday’s display.
“For the most part, I did everything on my own. My friends were not able to help this year because of COVID.” His sisters and his parents were able to help a bit.
Noah has been Christmas decorating since “I was able to walk” and started by helping his grandfather with his Christmas lights and inflatable figures.
Noah’s collection of items represents thousands of dollars spent although, he explained he often gets new items as gifts and sometimes purchases others at a low cost from a network of friends who also have huge displays in other areas.
Keeping it lit is also expensive. Last year the electric bill was hundreds of dollars. Luckily, this year a family friend gave him a generator.
If you would like to contribute to his holiday show, he also has a small donation box at the site.
Noah expects to have more visitors than ever this year. In 2019 he estimates he had about 200 people and during the first few days of December, he has seen about 60 cars.
“But people come and go and I don’t always know it,” he added.
His Facebook page is not only a way to inform people about the show. It has also given visitors a space to thank him for his efforts to bring light to 2020. Many have already voiced their gratitude.
“If one person says thank you, it means the world to me, let alone several people doing it.”
He is already making plans to expand it next year.
“I really did not expect it to go this big,” Noah said. “It is a blessing to do this because so many people like it and support it.
If you can’t make it in person to admire Noah’s creation, he has a video of it on his Youtube channel, Holiday Master.