Gray residents Kimberly and Scott Sloan have set up a musical holiday light show outside their home for the last three years. Contributed / Kimberly Sloan
A Gray couple has been celebrating the season with a holiday light show outside of their home, synced up to a series of songs that visitors can listen to on their vehicle radios at 94.5 FM.
The show runs from 4:30 to 10 p.m. nightly through the end of the month at 135 Whitney Road.
“We had seen other light shows around and decided we wanted to try it ourselves,” said Kimberly Sloan, who has been running it along with her husband, Scott, for the last three years. “It’s just another way to brighten up the community around this time.”
The idea first began during the pandemic in 2020, when people were looking for ways to celebrate without gathering in large groups. Since then, they’ve put on shows for Halloween, Christmas and Independence Day.
“It’s so much fun,” she said.
They love to look out and see people enjoying their show.
“When we watched out the windows, we saw a kid dancing out of the sun roof the other night,” she said. On another evening, a tour bus stopped by.
The last couple of weekends have been pretty busy, she said, with about 50 cars of viewers per night.
Monday’s powerful rainstorm damaged some of the show’s props, but Sloan posted on Facebook Tuesday that although “we are a bit scratched and dented” the show would go on as scheduled.
Her husband Scott has spearheaded most of the technical work in putting the show together, attaching each of the 10,000 individual lights to the lawn props by hand, and programming them all to sync up with the music.
This year, Sloan had hoped to use the show to raise awareness and money for My Father’s Hands, a small outreach group that provides food and other necessary items to unhoused people in Portland. Sloan volunteers with the group, which was started by Carol Waig of Standish. They provide breakfast, snacks and items like warm clothes and boots every Tuesday and Friday morning on Commercial Street, she said, and they’re passionate about reaching out to those in need of support.
“We care about them and try our best to get them into shelter or help find them housing,” she said.
So far, the show’s fundraising effort has been unsuccessful.
“I’ve tried raising donations, but sadly we haven’t received one,” she said.
“There’s a lot of homeless people right now, and regardless of the reason for being homeless, it’s too cold out,” she said.
Those interested in donating can send funds through Venmo to Carol-Waig, or mail them to 66 Woodridge Drive in Steep Falls.
Sloan said they are also looking for donations of winter jackets and hoodies, which can be dropped off at the house when folks come for the light show.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
