Homepage Article Archive   December 31, 2007 Special Show At Midnight Tonight - New Years Celebration! As tonight is the  final night for the Yaglenski Family Dancing Holiday Light Spectacular, we've decided to throw in some special additions!  At midnight, we'll ring in the New Year with "Auld Lang Syne" followed by "Reflections of Earth" and "Heat Miser/Snow Miser" - all new sequences produced especially for our final night.  The display will run till 1am as part of the celebration and will remain lit after that all night long.  We hope to see you for this special occasion! December 23, 2007 Our Final Night Will Be New Years Eve - With Extended Hours The final night for the display this year will be New Years Eve when the Dancing Lights will run until 1am.  However, from 11pm thru 1am, there will be no external audio.  You'll have to stay in your car to listen to the music as a courtesy to our neighbors! Many Thanks To News Channel 8 DC A big thank you to Judy Kurtz from News Channel 8 for putting together such a nice piece on our display last night.  It really captured the spirit of things and did a great job of showcasing the lights and our website.  Now, if only she had gotten my name right - LOL.  It's JOHN, not Jeff... but any publicity is good publicity and she did get my last name right - which is usually pronounced wrong! News Channel 8 Video Here December 23, 2007 News Channel 8 DC Coming Out Tonight Merry Christmas everyone!  We received a call a few moments ago that News Channel 8 in Washington, DC would like to come out this evening (Christmas Eve) and film the Yaglenski Family Dancing Holiday Light Spectacular.  We're looking forward to seeing them and you here tonight!  The display is on from 6pm thru 11pm. December 18, 2007 Santa To Make An Appearance Friday & Saturday Night The jolly old elf himself will make a visit just in time for Christmas, this Friday and Saturday night from 7-8pm (weather permitting).  Santa and his helpers will be handing out candy canes and wishing good cheer to all those who visit.  Be sure to bring your letter to Santa and drop it in his mailbox (include your name and address and Santa will send you a note back!) We Won Again! Thank you to the  judges who chose us as the winner of the Single Family Contemporary Holiday Light Display for the Villages of Urbana. This is 5 years now that we have been honored with this distinction. December 14, 2007 Thanks to 630 WMAL and The Gazette The folks from 630 WMAL in Washington, DC contacted us today for a story they are doing for Mondays Morning Show about holiday lights.  A big thanks to John Matthews and Mark Weaver who were great to talk to.  Also, thanks to the Chris Brown at the Gazette Newspaper for covering the light show in the latest issue. Weather Heads Up! With bad weather in the forecast, we'll keep things running as long as we can on Saturday nite for those who plan to stop by.  Realize that the shows run weather permitting and if we need to cancel things for the evening, we'll post information saying so to the website. December 6, 2007 Shows Now Running Every 20 Minutes We had been running the shows on the hour and half hour, but to make sure folks don't have to wait 20 minutes till the next show, we've modified the schedule so shows run at the top of the hour, 20 and 40 past.  On average you shouldn't have to wait more than 10 minutes or so till the next viewing.  This gives you plenty of time to see the display static, but also see the lights DANCE! December 4, 2007 Display Video Now Online After the shows shut down for the night, we went back outside last night and ran things in silent mode with the video camera rolling and then added sound back in later with video editing software.  It was pretty cold, so we only captured 2 songs in all (about 10 are rotating thru our 4 shows) - but you'll at least get the idea of what things look like.  We'll be capturing more video coming soon! Click To See This Years Video December 2, 2007 Due to Heavy Rain, Remainder of Tonight's Shows Cancelled We were able to run most of the night fine with many visitors till 9:00pm when the rain kicked up another notch and started tripping GFI Circuits.  So, we've cancelled the remainder of shows tonight, and well start fresh tomorrow weather permitting.  We can operate in light rain but not heavy downpour.  If you have any doubts whether to head out to see the display, check the website and we'll try to post an update as to whether things are running.  The forecast looks good the rest of the week, though tomorrow may be quite windy... December 1, 2007 Tonight is the Night! The Yaglenski Family Dancing Holiday Light Spectacular premieres tonight.  Between 6 and 7pm, we'll be outside giving away free candy canes to those who attend.  We'll see you there!  Just a heads up - rain is in the forecast for tomorrow and we haven't determined if the show will be able to play during rain - so best to come out today! November 30, 2007 Show & Display Are Complete All the work has come together and the light shows are complete as is the display.  We've run tests, the schedule is set and we're ready to roll for opening night Saturday.  Details on the shows and schedule can be found here.  Stop by on Saturday night from 6-7pm for free candy canes - we'll be out talking to those who come to view the display.  November 26, 2007 Testing Going Well... A few folks have been lucky enough to see the new Yaglenski Family Holiday DANCING Light Spectacular over the past few nights.  We've been outside making sure everything is working properly with the December 1 preview.  Remaining items are to add some more twinkle lights, finish the show schedule, install the security cams and decorate the backyard.  Everything is on track.  See you at 6pm on the 1st! November 21, 2007 When You View The Show This Year... In anticipation of the Holiday Lights Preview just under 10 days away, here are a few simple rules that we ask you to follow in order to make the experience magical for everyone: Please be respectful and courteous to our friends and neighbors and do not block traffic or driveways, park or walk on anyone's lawn, blow horns or play your radio loudly. Please turn off your headlights when watching the display and only leave your parking lights on for road safety.  If you wish to get out of the car to watch a show or visit with Santa (on select nights), please park in the Community Center Parking Lot and walk over. Due to the electrical HIGH VOLTAGE that runs our display, and the maze of electrical cords and ground based displays including strobe lights, it's important that you DO NOT enter the yard. Smile - this year we have installed a night vision security camera system to keep everything and everyone safe! November 20, 2007 Big Day Today... The behind the scenes planning are no more - and this years display has moved to the yard over the last few days.  Many of the wireframes are out, the rope light border is up, lower level gutter lights and about half the trees are wired.  Since our last update, we added a few new items including a couple penguins in a snowball fight, a tree of mini trees which will grace our backyard along with a sign that says PEACE.  Capitol Electrical Solutions comes tomorrow to put in a dedicated sub panel with 8 dedicated outlets in (to keep everything safe). Our giant wreath that hangs in the eves has been adorned with new Christmas Balls and looks as good as the day we bought it about five years ago now.  All, the lights have been tested and repairs made where appropriate - including a new motor for the light flurries box. This year, we also switched out all of our C7 lights (with the exception of the white ones that outline the house) to mini lights.  This will cut down a little on power consumption while still giving a bright, festive look. We're about to the point where we need more front yard!  it's getting harder and harder to fit it all in. The biggest challenge over the next 10 days is not putting the lights up, but running the cords that will power the show.  With 32 channels, that's 32 16 gauge extension cords running from the garage to the yard.   Wow. October 24, 2007 It Begins!  2007 Plans Underway... Well, we've actually planned far in advance of now but have officially purchased a few items for this years display.  First was an item from Lori's Lighted D Lites - the seals tossing a package back and forth.  Stacey has wanted this item for 2 years now and somehow it kept getting put off.  We'll, it's ordered and on the way.  Second item I am very excited about... 2 16 Channel Channel Light-O-Rama controllers.  This is the same device that Disney World uses to power their sequenced and synched Osborne Family Light Display.  We're starting small with 16 channels but more can be added easily next year.  Also we'll have 5-6 sequenced songs with it - so we'll be doing "shows" if all works out at the top and bottom of the hour.  Not sure how that will integrate with SantaFM but we'll see... Special Events! Santa's Final Scheduled Appearance - Postponed Till Saturday! Due to rain, Friday's appearance of Santa has been moved to Saturday.  Be sure to stop by  - Santa will be stopping by and handing candy canes out to visitors for his final appearance of the 2006 Season.  Say hello and drop your letter off in the mailbox while you are here!  Santa appears weather permitting. Saturday December 23 - 6:45-7:45pm   Special Events! Thanks to the Gazette for their Newspaper Coverage We've had a number of visitors say they stopped by after reading the following.... One house with a contemporary display in the Villages of Urbana has become a Christmas landmark stop for families and has won the competition in 2002, 2003 and 2005. The Yaglenski family home on 9056 Clendenin Way, just next door to the Urbana Community Center, each year attracts children with its moving lights show and Christmas characters. Last year, the Yaglenskis initiated a holiday radio program called ��SANTAfm�, on 88.7 FM, to go along with their display. This year, they will again feature the program as well as two new features: a lights display of a dog house with a dog wagging its tail and a mailbox for children, perched at the end of a light-filled path, to drop letters to Santa. A Santa character will make an appearance at the display from 7 to 8 p.m. today and Friday to hand out candy canes to children. The lights are illuminated from dusk until 10:15 p.m. For more information, visit www.yaglenski.com. Read The Full Article Here   December 17, 2006 We Won Again! Thank you to the honorary judges from the Urbana Volunteer Fire Department who chose us as the winner of the Single Family Contemporary Holiday Light Display for the Villages of Urbana.  This is 4 years now that we have been honored with this distinction.  From all of us Yaglenski's - a heartfelt Thank You and Merry Christmas to all of you!   December 14, 2006 Frederick County Tacky Light Tour If you know of a great display near where you live or that you visit in Frederick County, Maryland, please let us know about it thru our contact form.  It's our eventual desire to create a database that you can "tour" via automobile with a map, picture and description pinpointing each home.  As much as we like putting on the display, we also like seeing great displays as well! Creativity Goes a Long Way There is no more powerful tool than your noggin.  It�s great when you actually get to use it to solve a problem.  Last night upon looking at the display, I realized that my front porch, garage and post lights were throwing way to much luminance onto the front of the house.  This was interfering with the light globe that projects �snowflakes� on the front of the house.  It was washing out all the detail.  Not to mention at 60 watts each, they overpowered much of the display lighting.  So, what to do?  Others would have probably just settled for turning the lights out � but I wouldn�t be happy with how that looked.  As I stood outside, noodling it all through, my first thought was to replace the bulbs with flicker lights that look like a flame is burning.  Problem with that was after the display shut off for the night, the house would be pretty darn dark.  Then I had a light bulb moment literally.  All my lights are controlled by X10 controllers which are DIMMABLE!  Why hadn�t I thought of this before?  Years into doing the display, it just now hit me.  I CAN DIM THE LIGHTS!  So, off the computer I ran to program it in.  Sure enough, a dimmer setting of 50% did the trick.  The lights now appear that �yellow� color that all the rest of the bulbs look and the snowflake effect is much more prominent on the house.  Through some more computer programming, I was also able to turn those same lights off when the end of night show runs thereby enhancing the strobe effect � and then have them come on full brightness after the last show is complete.  It all seems very seamless but there is a bit of programming going on behind the scenes thanks to HomeSeer Pro 2.0.  If anyone is interested in doing a one on one or group tour where I can explain how you too can do Christmas automation (and home automation), just email me on the contact form and I�ll be glad to spend a little time with you and show you the backend of the automation and how the radio station works along with tricks of the Christmas display trade!   Backyard & Side House Decorations Are Up For the first time this year, we have added some lights to the back yard.  It�s nothing to get out of your car for, but if you happen to be walking your dog or on the way to the library via the path that runs behind our house, you will note that our entire fence line has been topped with about 800 mini lights.  Also, we outlined our deck with about 400 mini lights that do a fade from color lights to plain white.  It�s a pretty cool effect.  Added to this, we put about 800 minis on the smaller of two large evergreens that reside in our back yard.  Lastly, we placed a projector on the side of the house to form another snow falling effect.  These flakes are much larger than the front of the house and are more defined.  It works well because the side of the house is largely dark.  All of these items were tied into our home automation system and will turn on and off with the rest of the lights on the yard.  The decorations are a result of hitting after Christmas sales at the stores last year and buying up tons of lights which till now, really didn�t have a use.  But this signals our expansion of the display into the back yard.  The trick there will be to put up items that our 3 Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties) won�t tear up.  That will be a bit of a challenge, but through power cord management and select placement that gives them room to maneuver, I think it can be done.  Look for more fun to come next year as we continue to add to our display. December 12, 2006 More Photos Are Now Online We managed to snap a few new photos tonight which are now in the gallery... though we ran out of time.  Expect more to be added tomorrow.  There are a few that show the animation of the wireframes in this years display. November 25, 2006 Send Your Letter To Santa! One of the new items we are adding this year is a Mailbox for the kids to drop their letters to Santa in.  This box will sit outside "Santa's Workshop" at the end of the light path.  It will be at kid level for easy access and all letters deposited will be picked up by the Jolly Old Elf himself.  Be sure to include your name and address if you would like to get a letter back from Santa! In other news, we purchased 20 strands of Mini Lights which will be placed on all 5 of the pine trees which formerly had C7 lights alone.  This will bring a fuller look to trees that have grown rather large over the last few years. All the yard art (with the exception of the new items on order) are out on the yard, have been tested and are working.  We got the power grid in place today with the exception of the network of strobes which will fire on the quarter hour.  So, what's left you ask? Well, we lined the lower roof line  with new LED lights and weren't happy with the Pure White color which ran in sharp contrast to the "Warm White" color of the rest of the lights.  So, we are sending those back and replacing them and are hoping they will arrive by Wednesday to line the lower and upper roof and put up the wreath.  We also need to put the second level Santa ladder up, wire up all the lights close to the house, run the lights for the frozen pond, finish stinging the mini's on the trees and as mentioned previously, hook up all the strobes. Oh, and get SANTA-fm on the air! Lots of work before the Friday debut.   Light Keeper Pro is AMAZING! Before I forget, mad props to the folks at Light Keeper Pro!  Those of you who don't have one and use mini Lights - run out to Lowes and pick one up for $17.  Light Keeper Pro fixes and diagnoses problems in Mini Light sets.  Today, my wife came to me to say that she had put up garland on our stairs and didn't bother to test the lights on it before hand.  Apparently, nothing was working.  I ran to get the Light Keeper Pro, pulled one bulb out, plugged the socket into the device, clicked the trigger 2 times and half of the lights instantly lit up.  Amazing!  Then, I went to the portion of the lights that weren't working and repeated the process.  Again, they lit up.  Be sure to stop by their website and check out the demo!  Why throw away lights every year when you can make them work.  By the way, it also helped me find a problem with one of my wire frame displays.   November 25, 2006 The Lights Start Going Up It's been warm here in Mid Maryland and it's been a great few days to start putting up this years display in anticipation for the Holiday Lights debut December 1.  If you drive by over the next few days, you'll likely see the family out in the yard working on stringing lights, arranging wire frames and tackling power cord management!  New additions this year will include an animated "Dog and Doghouse" Wireframe, LED pure white lights lining the house, trees with more lights than ever and more.  Ideas come to us every day so don't be surprised when new items pop up!  See you on the 1st!   October 24, 2006 Let The Planning Begin Actually, that's not quite true.  Ideas for this years display have been floating in our collective heads since last Christmas, but with 66 days to go till the big day and a little over 30 till the display goes up - the next few weeks mean much more active work.  Since last Christmas, RadioVOU has become JOHNfm which means, come December 1, JOHNfm will flip formats for 30 days to SANTA-fm 88.7 until January rolls around, at which time we'll resume normal programming.  This means a little more work on the voice side of things, but it shouldn't be that difficult.   January 1, 2006 New Policy For The New Year - The Display Is Now Closed. I've decided after tonight that New Years and all it's celebrations don't mesh well with intricate Christmas Displays.  A little after midnight, our display was hit with some very minor vandalism.  The North Pole sign was bent forward as was the elf next to it at the end of the workshop, and the VOU Decorating Contest Sign was pulled out of the ground.  Granted, this was minor... but I have decided that December 30 will be the final day for the display from this year moving forward, and that all decorations on the yard will be removed on the 31st.  Also, this years display will now be cut short and I will be bringing the lawn items in tomorrow. All in all, it's kind of sad, given the fact that we had two walk up families tonight that stopped and chatted with me about how much they enjoyed the lights.  Regardless, it has been a great season full of fun and smiles.  Thank you to all the great folks that stopped out to say hello and enjoy the spirit of the season.   December 25, 2005 We All Need A Little MORE Christmas Because of the popularity of the display this Christmas season, we have decided to extend the display a few additional days.  Lights will now be on thru January 6th.  Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from all of us to all of you. December 23, 2005 Video - Finally! It's taken a while but I finally took a tiny bit of video yesterday and compiled it for those who are out of town and can't see the display.  Hopefully in the next day or two, I will get my digital camcorder out and shoot some better quality stuff, but for now, at least there's something that shows a little bit of motion in my display! Video Here   December 22, 2005 Strobes Revised - Flashing on Quarter Hour Update:  Thanks to my brethren on PlanetChristmas, I hooked up a single C7 candle in line with the strobes, and they are now functioning as they should via X10 control every 15 minutes - where they fire for exactly 45 seconds and then turn off.  Not only do you get a cool display, but you can set your clock to it! Strobes Are Up - Flashing on The Hour & Half Hour The finishing touch for this years display was to get 25 curtain strobes out on the lawn and in the trees - and this was accomplished yesterday.  They turn on every half hour for 1 minute, thanks to a digital timer from Home Depot (which wasn't my first plan). Stop by at the top or the bottom of the hour to see.  It's quite a sight! Unfortunately, 1 of the 25 strobes didn't work so a location I wanted to place one isn't being covered, but no one will know except me.  I also ran into a problem trying to time the lights to come on.  Originally, I planned to use X10 control to turn them on every 15 minutes for 30 seconds at a time.  This was easily accomplished in the software that runs the lights - however - the X10 controls allow a small amount of current to flow thru the device, and in turn, that was enough to charge the capacitors in the strobes, and start them firing on their own!  Took the better part of an hour before I gave up.  After going to PlanetChristmas and telling of my problem, someone mentioned that the X10 controls are built so that if someone turns an appliance or light on, that the circuit will turn on.  So, the small amount of electricity that was flowing, allowed the strobes to fire, which turned on the circuit.  They suggested hooking up a single C7 light in line with the strobes, which should stop this.  Will test tonite! In other news, RadioVOU is now running with voice work between every 3 songs and at the top of the hour.  Sounds more like a polished station now.  Oh, and we won the Holiday Decorating Contest for a third year.   December 16, 2005 We're Famous... In Our Own Minds! A big thank you to Patrick Dunne for the nice press and colorful picture featured in Thursday's Gazette.  The article entitled "Lighting Up The Holidays" did a nice job covering what we do and why we do it.  However, Patrick... I am 39! Read The Article Here   December 13, 2005 Santa's Workshop Arrives Today - FM Transmitter Swap Got a call from A. Duie Pile yesterday trucking telling us that the Workshop will be delivered today before 1:30pm.  Looking forward to setting it up tonite.  Hopefully it won't be too big a chore!  Also, a few days ago, we swapped out the original FM Transmitter for a Ramsey Electronics FM30 - Digital FM Stereo Transmitter.  It's a 25mW of output power and has a little more range and better control over a number of elements of the broadcast.  The other transmitter worked fine, but the "radio guy" in me (I worked in broadcasting for better than 10 years) wanted a higher level of flexibility.  Yeah, I know.  Go ahead and say it.... GEEK!  At the same time, a buddy of mine introduced me to the SAM Broadcaster software package which allows me to fully program our own "RadioVOU" station.  Tune in.  I think you will be surprised at how good it sounds.  Best of all, it's commercial free!  If you live in the Villages, you may be able to pick us up.  Currently, we are looking for ways to stream the station over the internet as well.   December 8, 2005 Santa's Workshop Is On The Way! Just got a note from Jennifer at Linda's Yard art... "I just finished the packaging on your order. It will come in two large boxes, one weighing 52 lbs, the other weighing 74lbs. It will be coming to you by freight in 2 - 4 days. The company will contact you to schedule the time when the boxes arrive at their terminal nearest you". Holy Moly... I just ordered 126 pounds worth of display!  Anyway, I would guess that puts it getting to Urbana between Wednesday and Friday of next week.   December 6, 2005 FM Transmitter... Strobes The USPS delivered some nice surprises yesterday with the arrival of the FM Transmitter (pictured right) and 25 Curtain Strobes.  The transmitter was easy enough to set up.  Hook to the sound card output, then into a Y Connector and then into the transmitter.  The reason for the Y Connector is so that you can hook another wire in to act as an antenna for the system.  I'll take pictures soon so it's clear what I am talking about.  In the process, I also created a sign in Adobe Illustrator CS that will be produced by "Signs By Tomorrow" of Frederick to front the display.  You can check it out here (acrobat reader required to view file). The strobes are nice - and we tested a few.  Now, to hook them up in sequence and figure out where they are going.  Also, need ideas on how to ground mount some of them.  I'll be hitting Google and Planet Christmas for that.   December 4, 2005 More Items On The Way - Word is Spreading After a few hours surfing planetchristmas.com (which can be detrimental to your wallet), I purchased a low power FM transmitter which can reach about 100 yards from the house and 25 Curtain Light strobes to place in the pine trees that line the property.  The strobes should add some additional sparkle when fired at timed intervals and the FM transmitter will allow those stopping by during the week, to hear the music that accompanies the display on the weekend. We had one local reporter snapping pictures last night, and another newspaper is supposed to stop by on Tuesday.  Traffic out front has gotten busier and at one point, we had 4 -5 cars simultaneously queued to pull directly out front and view the display.  If by chance you do visit and see me wandering around checking bulbs or cords, be sure to wave! Santa's workshop is due to arrive in the next 7 days - hopefully before the judging of the Villages of Urbana holiday light contest.   December 1, 2005 Photos Online & Display Ordered. Thanks to Flickr and my buddy Mike, we've found an easy way to add photos to the site that requires a minimum amount of effort... so it's safe to say, this year should be well documented.  Also, you can see that we have taken a ton of pics over the last 3 years that just never made it to the site before now.  Enjoy browsing!  Also, I hope to do some movies for download before the end of the season. On the progress front, all of the wireforms are out and are corded.  Also, last nite, I completed the skating pond (a favorite of our guests).  Remaining to do's are the 5 white pine trees that line the right side of the front yard, one blue tree to the left of our garage, the second story string of lights (looking for a contractor to put them up - I hate getting on the roof), Santa's ladder on the second story and the wreath.  It may sound like a lot but it's not too bad and we look on target to launch the 3rd. Finally, ordered Santa's Workshop from Linda's Yard Art.  It was a toss up between them an Lori's Lighted D'lites who I used last year, so I figured I would spread the love around.  Jennifer at Linda's has been so nice every time we stopped by and on the phone.  I just wish they had a website with more pictures (they promise an overhaul in 2006).   I'll probably call Lori's tomorrow and order a small item or two.  Since the Workshop very expensive, we've pretty much tapped out this years funds.  It is huge though... 16 feet long in all.  And this means, I won't be getting any other Christmas presents from my wife... but that's ok by me!  Only bad thing is that the Workshop won't be done till Monday which means it won't be here till probably the 10th or so.  More reason to stop by more than once!   November 30, 2005 Another Year - Decisions, Decisions The display started going up this past weekend.  Items were brought down from the attic, sorted and tested.  Every year seems to bring a few surprises, but this year - nothing major has occurred in the storage process other than the usual burned out bulbs and fuses.  I say that and knock on wood at the same time.  Wireforms are out on the lawn and we are searching for a few new items to add to this years display.   Also new, we decided to scrap the c7 bulbs that lined the driveway and property in favor of  a "rope light fence" constructed with standard rope light and pvc plumbing tubes and t joints.  My wife isn't sold on the look, but I think it's just different than we are used to.  It's growing on me already. December 6, 2004 Frosty Saved & Photo's On The Way! It's the dread of anyone who uses rope lighting every year.  Will a strand die?  Will I take my beautiful rope light sculpture out of the attic to discover it won't work anymore?  Unlike twinkle lights, once a portion of rope light goes, there's not a good way to replace it without replacing the whole rope.  Furthermore, since many of the steel framed designs are specific sizes, you might have to have rope light custom made to length.  Anyway, I was in luck.  When frosty died, I discovered it was almost 3 - 18 foot sections in length which matched up perfectly with standard rope light sizes.  The only issue was that the rope was all one color now.  So, I discovered Krylon had a new product out that let you paint plastic.  I wasn't sure if it would be see thru enough to work coloring the rope light but much to my surprise and delight... it worked perfectly.  Taping the sculpture up to allow only certain portions to be painted was a pain but it worked out in the end. By the way, I am sure most of you are wondering when I am going to put pictures up.  The answer is very soon.   The display for 2004 is pretty much complete so, I can now take to photographing it in detail.  This will include the new items for 2004 that just came in at the end of last week and are on the lawn!   November 29, 2004 More Display On The Way Talked to the folks at Lori's Lighted D'lites today to see if I could add things to my order.  Luckily it was set to ship today and had been all boxed up, so adding one more item wasn't a problem.  We decided the light pond needed something other than the skating frosty.  While penguins don't inhabit the north pole, we found one that was cute enough with a Santa hat on, that we believe he must be lost and ended up at our "north pole". See items new to the Yaglenski Display in 2004 November 27, 2004 The Tradition Continues... The 2004 Edition of the Yaglenski Family Holiday Light Spectacular is well under way.  Work was nearly completed this past weekend on the display.  Total effort this year involved nearly 32 man hours.  Stacey & I put in more than 2 full days of work in getting things out of storage, tested and out on the lawn.  Our next door neighbor suggested we rent a cherry picker to place the lights on the tallest portions of our houses and it was a great idea.  In the past, outlining the house and placing the wreath involved use of an extremely long ladder and scary climbing on a tightly pitched roof.  Things haven't gone off without a hitch this year however.  Despite my intricate planning of the maze of electrical cords that criss-cross the front yard of the palatial Yaglenski Mansion, we were consistently tripping the circuit breaker.  At first, I thought it was a defective strand of lights, but no matter what combination I plugged things in, it seemed the tripping occurred.  Finally, it wouldn't turn on any more.  So I looked at the source, and found I had managed to melt one of the light timers and plug ends together.  Apparently, I had so much voltage going thru a single extension cord that the heat fried the timer and the plug.  Separating the lights on to two separate runs of cord and two timers now have things working perfectly and no heat issues. Then, there was the issue of Frosty The Snowman.  Our beautiful 4.5 foot tall rope light sculpture that tips his hat to you.  Well, as rope lights are notorious to do, a portion of the rope failed, which essentially means you have two options.  Restring the ropelight yourself of toss the sculpture.  Luckily, I decided to try restringing the lights and things turned out fine.  The only tricky part will be painting the ropelight with Krylon Plastic Spray Paint so that certain areas have color.