Plan B

After Christmas, after the lights and decorations have been put away and after all the good feelings that came with the season, there will be the ELECTRIC BILL! Probably sometime in January, you will receive your bill for the month of December and in it you will notice how much juice your display used above your normal household use. This amount varies accordingly to the amount of usage of your lights and other components of your display. Depending on that amount, it could be as much as 30% - 40% of the bill. Be sure to keep that in mind when setting up your display. Last year, the amount we paid for our display's usage was about $35. 

Plan B.

Bearing that in mind and due to not putting out much of a display this year, we decided to spend that amount anyways in the form of buying food for the foodbank ourselves. We ended up buying 6 large bags of groceries weighing 72 Lb.s and perhaps there will be more by the time the foodbank opens next. While having a major light display is a great way to show community spirit, its not the main reason we do it. Raising food for the needy is our main goal at Timber Town Christmas and we do what we can to reach that goal. We also encourage everyone to do the same and contribute what they can to the foodbanks as well.

From everyone here at Timber Town Christmas, we wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

GRINCHED!

Grinched!

Due to bad weather, Willamina's Lighted Christmas Parade was cancelled this year. We had our entry all ready to go and then found out on the day it was going to held, it was cancelled. It was for the best because there was at least an inch of ice on the road, making it unsafe for the parade as well as the crowd that would be watching. We will try again next year.

Also, due to increased production at work (making for long hours), electrical problems and other factors, we will not be going all out on our display this year. This will severely impact our ability to collect food for the foodbank. We look forward to this time of year just for that opportunity as well as Christmas itself.

Yes Virginia, 

there is a Plan B. 

Here we go again!

After a very successful Halloween Show, its time again to gear up for CHRISTMAS!! Check out a video of our show at the link of TimberTownHalloween to the right  >>--> 

We will be entering both the Willamina Lighted Christmas Parade and the Light Em Up Home contest in an effort to raise more money to buy food for the foodbank. Last year, we took 3rd in the parade and 3rd in the home contest. I hope we will do better this year and that the weather will go in our favor. This year I have convinced my wife to be in the parade. Way to go, Me!

A huge list of stuff to do and very little time to do it in (isn't that always the case during the holidays?) Everything has to be checked and readied to put up during the short week around Thanksgiving. 

We will be accepting canned food donations again this year for our local foodbank. Any type of canned or boxed nonperishable food would be great. Please remember that the foodbanks need our help all year long but especially during the holidays. Thanks for your support.

According to What?

120+ Cords!

With the ever-increasing amount of power needed to supply your growing display, you will no doubt accumulate a high number of extension cords. With the escalating cost of copper, extension cords are becoming more expensive and you will always need more. Here at Timbertown Christmas, we look for bargains at yard sales, thrift stores and other such places to get more cords. Here's what we have in stock to run the many branch lines of our 120v AC system.

6' Cords: 44

9' Cords: 21

15' Cords: 26

20' Cords: 5

25' Cords: 8

50' Cords: 6

100' Cords: 4

"Y" Cords: 2

Custom Cords:2

Triple Cords: 3

Lost and I'm still looking for them Cords: ?

Custom-made or homemade cords are not really recommended but necessary sometimes to reach the out-of-the-way spots. Be sure to make them as water-tight as possible. Most extension cords come with a manufacturer's warning label and there are people that will take the label off to make it more presentable. If this happens and there is a problem with the cord, the manufacturer is no longer liable. At the beginning of each Christmas display season, check each cord carefully. Check for breakage, cuts, debris in sockets, broken tabs on the plugs, worn insulation and other defects. Replace any cord that is damaged. Keep your cords in boxes or hung up on the wall. Other AC accessories, such as timers and adapters should be checked as well. This will help to keep your display up and running in bad weather and other situations. 

Christmas in July?

In an effort to bring more awareness to our Christmas Show and to our Charity, a local foodbank, we put up our unfinished sign and the new Polar Bear. It will no doubt make a lot of people wonder whats going on. So much so that they will go to website to see what it is all about. (and that's what brought you here).

This blog is about how to construct a light display for Christmas. The Light Show serves as a vehicle to solicit non-perishable foodstuffs to donate to the local foodbank in the Willamina-Sheridan, Oregon area. Please remember that foodbanks serve the public all through the year, not just at holidays, so make yourself feel good by donating to the foodbanks.

Our house is on a corner lot and the side yard where the sign and polar bear are will be one of the busiest streets later on in the evening (July 4th). It will be busy because after the fireworks are over a few blocks away, a lot of folks will be trying to use the street to get to the highway. Last year, we counted well over 150 cars passing by within an hour's time. As each car goes past our house, they will wonder what a polar bear is doing in our yard! Wave as you go by!

Be sure to check out our Charity's page (link on the right). Come back at Christmas to see a huge improvement in the size of our display. Have a great summer!

Meanwhile... back at the branch.

As your display gets larger, you will have to figure out better ways to control the massive amount of electrical power running through it. This is the first year we will have to use 3 different modes of control to make sure everything runs smoothly. The first mode is "always on", being that the power is not switched off after the display is used for the night. This will include the inflatable motors and a few other things. The second mode is controlled by rotary timing units. Our light show schedule is from 6 PM to 10 Pm so some things like signs and background lighting will be turned off and on at those times. Thirdly, Blitzen the Christmas Computer will run the main show according to his programming. Using the 3 modes will greatly improve the control of the power usage and keep problems like turning things off and on to a minimum.

Also, when a number of controllers and elements are on the same GFI and the power gets shut off due to a problem like water intrusion, that branch of the system will all go off at the same time. The more GFIs you have, the more you can keep the rest of it working during that shutdown. Our springtime project is the GFI Branch Stake. An extension cord is ran out to the general area of where the branch will be and the GFI Branch Stake is plugged into it. Power needed for controllers or other light elements will be plugged into the Stake. Items plugged into the Stake will be protected and only those items on that particular GFI will be shut down in the event of a problem with the remaining others staying on. This project will protect 2 branch lines and is also plugged into a primary GFI for double protection. Check out our Projects Page for some pics.

This is a test! This is only a test.

Each year as you do your Christmas display, there is wear and tear, accidents, weather problems, water intrusion, vandalism, upgrades and other types of happenings that take a toll on your equipment. Its best that during the non-Christmas season that some testing is done on your hardware and other components to be sure of reliable operation. Check out each item in a thorough manner. Starting at the source is a good place to start. Run a series of test sequences if needed. The storm that hit us just before the judging of the contest created a lot of problems so I did some testing to see what was needing to be corrected. Here is a status report on our system.

===========
Computer: OK
===========
Grinch 1: OK
===========
Grinch 2: OK
===========
SSRs:

SSR - Channels - Status
===========
A1 - CH 1-4 - OK
B1 - CH 5-8 - OK
C1 - CH 9-12 - OK
D1 - CH 13-16 - OK
E1 - CH 17-20 - OK
F1 - CH 21-24 - OK
G1 - CH 25-28 - channel 3 not working - other channels ok
H1 - CH 29-32 - OK
I1 - CH 33-36 - OK
J1 - CH 37-40 - not finished - near complete
K1 - CH 41-44 - OK
L1 - CH 45-48 - OK
M1 - CH 49-52 - short in channel 1  stays on - other channels ok
N1 - CH 53-56 - OK
O1 - CH 57-60 - missing
P1 - CH 61-64 - OK
A2 - CH 65-68 - OK
B2 - CH 69-72 - subchannel 2 not working - other channels ok
C2 - CH 73-76 - OK
D2 - CH 77-80 - OK
E2 - CH 81-84 - not finished - need parts
F2 - CH 85-88 - not finished - near complete
G2 - CH 89-92 - OK
H2 - CH 93-96 - not finished - need parts
I2 - CH 97-100 - not finished - need parts
J2 - CH 101-104 - not finished - need parts
K2 - CH 105-108 - not finished - need parts
L2 - CH 109-112 - short in channel 3  stays on - other channels ok
M2 - CH 113-116 - not finished - need parts
N2 - CH 117-120 - not finished - need parts
O2 - CH 121-124 - not finished - need parts
P2 - CH 125-128 - not finished - need parts
===========

As you can see, one of our controllers is missing in action. We are not quite sure what happened to it or if it is lost in the garage someplace. Having a list of your equipment will help in such cases. Testing now will save on the headaches later!

Epic fail or For The Win!

Epic Fail!

In the pouring rain, the Light Suit fails due to a malfunctioning button on the power unit. Poor Penny the Dachshund, shivering in the cold. Just minutes before the parade is to start, the wife leaps into action! Go Sandy Go!

For the Win!

After digging all the equipment out of the backpack, it is reassembled and put back into action just before the start of the parade! Interested people in the parade also are checking out the test before leaving on the 1.1 mile parade route. Talk about the proverbial Nick in time!

Another Helping Please!

Bear with us!

Having won 3rd place in the Willamina Lighted Christmas Parade and then winning 3rd place (again) in the Light 'Em Up! home contest, we used the prize money, totaling $35, to buy more food for the food-bank. As you know, money doesn't go as far as it used to, so we added a little bit more. Two large bags were donated into our red donation box and the balance of the food from the purchase are shown in front of our new inflatable polar bear (Thanks again Penny!). A total weight of 62 pounds was donated to the Sherimina Food-bank. TimberTownChristmas is still determined in its cause to get more food donated to the needs of our community. Technical problems, bad weather, procrastination or any other problems will not slow us down. We ask that you help us to help others.

Inside the Sherimina Food-bank, the food we collected is getting checked and received.  As a last minute donation our Daughter in Law gave us some baby food to add in as well.  Thank You Jessica!! 

In the top 3

Its official! We've taken 3rd place in the Light 'em Up contest! The town of Willamina holds an annual house Christmas lights competition and for the 2nd year in a row, we got third place. Our prize was $15, given by the Willamina Coastal Hills Chamber of Commerce. We at TimberTownChristmas would like to thank them for picking us as one of thier top 3 winners. Any monetary winnings are put to good use by purchasing additional food for the food-bank. Next year, we will try extra hard to get a 2nd or 1st place by creating a new, more elaborate display. Watch out for us!

 We invite you all to visit our town!
http://www.willaminachamberofcommerce.org/

Merry Christmas to One and All!

Christmas Luck!

Despite severe storm damage to our show, the impossible has happened. We were told we had won a prize in the Home Illumination Contest. We're still not sure if it's 2nd or 3rd place but in anticipation of whatever amount of the prize was, we went shopping. Every year since we started, TimberTownChristmas has collected canned food for our local food-bank. In addition to food received from friends, family and the public, we also donate any prize money we get in the form of food. We shop around for the best deal to get as much food as we can. Sometimes, you get a chance at a good deal so its best not to pass it up even if it means adding a bit of money from your own pocket. 

As we were shopping, we started talking to a woman that was working in the store. She also was hit by the storm and told us about how her inflatables got damaged. I told her I would take them if she no longer wanted them and she said yes! At the very least, they would make for spare parts for my show and so we went to get them. After a short drive to her house, we picked the remains of the inflatables up out of her yard. A soggy mess it was, but into the car's trunk it went. Upon getting home and doing some checking for holes, we knew we could repair them. First one fixed was the polar bear!

(picture from the Net)

However, the other inflatable being an 8 foot Carousel needed a bit more TLC. It was found to have a 3 foot long tear along the topside next to the clear plastic window. It too can be repaired but not as fast.

(picture from the Net)

We at TimberTownChristmas would like to thank Penny and her husband for giving us these wonderful additions to our Christmas Show.  The inflatables will definitely help us to promote our cause.

The Show Must Go On...

While a storm had hit our display pretty hard, we managed to correct most of the damage to at least finish the season. Several of our handmade controllers were severely compromised by the rain and no longer function. By moving the light elements closer together and piggy-backing on other controllers, we were able to once again make the lights dance. We had hoped it wasn't too noticeable and we still want the public to come see it. Next year, we will add more precaution against storm damage, wind and water intrusion by adding stakes, tie downs and domes over electrical connections as well as adding more GFIs.

It hasn't dampened our spirits for the blinky-flashy but it has given us an opportunity to expand on it.

 Christmas Joy

What have you done for Christmas?

Due to a string of technical problems, some of our light elements didn't get put out this year. Some because of material shortages and some because of pure procrastination. The "I will get to it later" attitude can be a show killer, so beware of that. Most know that it takes a lot to put on a big show but how much is a lot? How much time do you need? Here is my list and I'm quite sure its not complete.

TimberTownChristmas Infrastructure Assessment
====================================
Computer
====================================
Vixen
====================================
Sequences
====================================
Music
====================================
Audio System
====================================
Timbertownchristmas.blogspot.com
====================================
Master Inventory List
====================================
Repairs
====================================
Webcam Streaming
====================================
Main Data Cable
====================================
Grinch X 2
====================================
SSRs
====================================
AC Extension Cords
====================================
AC Accessories
====================================
Radio Transmitter
====================================
Substructure Hardware
====================================
Light Elements
====================================
Donation Box
====================================
Advertising
====================================
Signs
====================================
Promotions
====================================
Parade Contest
====================================
Home Illumination Contest
====================================
Storage
====================================
New Stuff
====================================
 What are you waiting for? Christmas?
You have a lot of work to do, get to it.

The Good with the Bad...

After winning 3rd place in the Willamina Lighted Christmas Parade, we were in high spirits and ready to win a prize in the Home Illumination Contest. While not all of the light elements were put in place due to some technical problems and a bit of procrastination on my part, the show was up and running in time for the start on December 10th. Judging for the contest was on the 19th and 20th, plenty of time to work the bugs out of the system. Then a few days before the judging, a major storm swept through our area, destroying about a third of our show. Shorting out several of our mini-trees and a number of our controllers, it ruined a lot of the show. Because, we at TimbertownChristmas are not quitters, we assessed the damage and reorganized what was left. It still has a bit to offer for the public to see and we hope it will draw them here to help us with our charity, the local food-bank. On with the show!

Following Suit.

December 1st. The day (or night depending on how you see it) of the Willamina (in Oregon) Lighted Christmas Parade had finally arrived! After several weeks of talking, planning, scrounging up items and annoying others with the details, my dear, sweet wife wrapped me up in about 1000 LED lights after donning my camo coveralls and backpack filled with electronic hardware. A bit of testing and we thought we were good to go, however....

We arrived at the starting point at one end of the town with the rain just pouring down. There were at least a dozen entries there before we showed up and several more came after we got there. We came equipped with umbrellas and as predicted, we (I mean I) were going to be the only one(s) walking the 1.1 mile route through town. Just to make sure, we conducted another test and found out the system wouldn't work. You may know how frustrating it is to find out your creations don't work, much less trying to repair them in a downpour. Then, after pulling everything out of the backpack, my wife (trying not to blow her cool, trying to follow my directions and me not being able to help or see what she was doing) finally found the problem. A faulty switch on the APC was not on, causing the whole thing to fail. She pressed the button and beat on the thing to make it come on, then put the whole mess back into the backpack and sealed it up just in time. 

Having to walk the route meant I was going to be last in line but just before SANTA in a one horse open (you probably thought I was going to say sleigh) buggy. The man driving the buggy won last year with a beautiful Cinderella coach. Walking with me was my Dachshund Penny and she was dressed up in a Mrs. Santa skirt made by my wife. It was decorated with bells, white fur and 35 LED lights! Penny was well aware of the horse following us as she had never seen a horse before. I wonder if she thought it was a giant dog. She kept looking behind us to see if the horse was trying to get her. =LOL=  I kept pulling her leash a bit and talking to her, telling her it was alright. Amazingly, while the rain before the parade had come down in buckets, it stopped almost completely while we were walking the parade route. We were given an entry number (mine being #8) at the beginning.  I had the lights turned off to conserve power and still the parade director asked me if i had lights? with 1000 LEDs obviously zigzagging all over me. I promptly hit the ON button on my remote and lit up!

So on we walked, Penny and I, down the center of the street (technically a highway) through Willamina. What fun that was, people clapping and pointing at us, a great feeling it was. Meanwhile, my wife and our friend were following a ways back, handing out mini-flyers for our Christmas Light Show that starts on December 10th. They handed out over 80 mini-flyers and walked most of the route. Kudos and Good Job to them!

Waving to the crowd and shouting "Merry Christmas!" in a parade is something I have never done and let me tell you, your arm will get tired. As we got near the old drugstore where the judges were, I did a little dance and got Penny to do her prairie dog trick (sitting up and bouncing a little). The crowd in front of the store clapped and cheered including the one with the clipboard. Sweet! Continuing on, we passed the grocery store and went over the bridge to finish the route. We rounded the last corner and arrived at the old High School when all at once, the APC in the backpack ran out of power. Talk about a close call! It failed as predicted by our tests earlier in the week almost to the minute.

Penny and I waited there until my wife arrived and it was then we learned we had taken 3rd Place! WoooHoooo! We (Richard-that's me, Sandy-my wife, our Good Friend Marianne and Penny the wonder dog) had done it! Now there was going to be something extra in our food collection bin. We will shop around and buy as much food as we can with the prize money. We did that last year when we won 3rd place (I hope that's not going to be the trend) in the Home Illumination Contest.

We still have a chance to win that again this year with the judging to be on the 21st or so. 

A lot of fun was had by all!!  I'm still trying to convince my wife to join me in the parade for next year.

Suits me.

In our little town of Willamina, Oregon, we have a Lighted Christmas Parade every year. Last year, there were about 6 entries with one of them being a "Cinderella" type coach complete with princess. We were there watching it and of course, we were lit up with a portable power supply and a few hundred LED lights. I had thought we could enter it and maybe win a prize that we could donate back to the cause in the form of food for the food-bank. The first plan was to decorate our car (a Ford Taurus) with a white lacy shroud and Santa with reindeer or something to that effect. But now, a smaller and redefined plan has been devised.

And here it is..... The Mobile Light Suit!

Six channels of LEDs with a total of 1000 lights in a rainbow of colors.It will be really cold so the Camo suit will keep me warm. Complete with Christmas music, it plays 20 tunes really loud. Total weight of the suit is around 30 pounds. Total cost of the suit was around 30 dollars due to buying it all secondhand. Sometimes your hobby carries you away instead of the other way around.

Our dog, Penny is a 3/4 Dachshund 1/4 Pomeranian and such a sweet and obviously, a tolerant patient soul because she put up with the fitting and a bit of training but we knew she would do anything to get a "One" (that's her word for a treat of any kind.) She will be walking alongside of me in the parade in her cute Santa Skirt that my wife made for her. Its stocked with 35 LED lights and will use a dark green extension cord for a leash. She knows something's up but not sure what it is. Maybe it will get her another "One"

And so it begins....

The turkey has been eaten, the last of the pumpkin pie gone and the parade is over, now the start of the CHRISTMAS season has begun! You won't find me at the sales or watching the game, instead I will be outside, possibly in the pouring rain, setting up our ever-increasing light display. With a lot of new items, the old ones and some that were handmade or remade by us to set up, we will be very busy in the next few days. Our show starts on the 10th with testing starting before that. Hopefully, everything will go right and soon the brilliance of lights will bring out the smiles and the oooh aahhs. Some of the lights are being replaced with LEDs.Wish us luck, we will need it.

Stop to think

Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is soon to come. Food is a big part of the holidays and most of us will be setting down with friends and family to partake in the wintertime feasts. Some people aren't so lucky and will have to go to local foodbanks just to get food for regular meals, much less holiday feasts. We at TimberTownChristmas are committed to raising food for the foodbanks in our area. We tried to include the collecting of food in our Halloween show but nobody gave any. Actually, this is not true. A man showed up on our porch and was asking for food. Turned out, he was also collecting food for the same foodbank we collect for. What a coincidence! When he heard we had not collected anything, he gave us some of his! No loss there, it will end up in the same place. Its a joke, right? Nope. Food donations are needed at all times of the year just so some families can have enough for basic nutrition. It doesn't take much from everybody if they just give a can or two each. Please give to your local foodbank when you can. It will make you feel great!  Meanwhile.....
Its time to finalize the Christmas Show layout and do routine checking of the light elements. Hopefully, some of the new elements will be put out to see if they will blend in with the show. Some new icicles will adorn the roofline and our herd of reindeer has grown to a total of 14. As the show increases in size, the more popular it becomes and there are a lot of people that can't wait to see it.We will have to be on our top game to wow the crowd. Good luck to us and happy holidays to you.

Practice makes perfect.

Once again its Halloween and once again, its time for the craziness to start. Confined to the porch and a section of the yard in front of it, we built a nice Halloween display. Using only 32 of 128 channels possible, we created a 10 foot high screen complete with a Jack o' lantern face. Some of last year's items didn't make it into the show due to electrical failure (water and electricity still don't mix) but we still continued. On with the show! Each cycle is about 28 minutes long and there will be 8 shows per night so come on down and check it out! Details of the show can be found on the link to the right >--->

On the Run

During the 4th of July, in our town of Willamina, Oregon, the Friends of the Willamina Library has a 5K Run. The course loops around the local fishing pond and up the hill around the High School. A lot of runners turned out and amazingly, the first to cross the finish line did the route in about 15 minutes! This was the 4th annual Run and Timbertown Christmas sponsored a bit of it. We also donated some of our time as we are a part of The Friends of the Willamina Library group as well. Double duty? All in all, it was a great day for both of the charities. Want to learn more about the Friends? Check out the Our Charities page to the right of this >>------>