Frequently Asked Questions How do we contact you? Please email us here: lights@brownknows.org Or telephone us at: 704-931-8629 How long have you been doing this? This is our sixth year of hosting a computerized Christmas light display. We started out in 2006 with 56 computer controlled light circuits. This year we have 304 computer controlled circuits. Why do you do it? In an age of cell phones and iPods, we felt it would be good to use technology to promote our view of Christmas, and maybe re-kindle some holiday thrill to the community. Because of the work involved in a display like this, we have Christmas on our minds year-round as we work on various aspects of the display, from design to programming to construction. People think we are crazy to be listening to Christmas music in July while we are selecting the songs for next year, but it allows us to enjoy the holiday all year long. How much have you raised for charity? 2007 was our first year collecting for a charity. Many visitors to our display in 2006 offered us money to help offset costs. We did not accept those donations because we do this as a hobby, not to make money. However, it got us thinking that we could harness the high number of visitors and their generousity toward a worthy cause. Last year we collected $4265, which was a record for our humble display. How much do you hope to raise this year and who will it be donated to? Our primary objective is to bring happiness to our visitors, and (through the Christmas Bureau) to give those less fortunate a wonderful holiday. In tough economic times, it is hard to ask our visitors to give, but we are hoping to attain similar donations to last year. Every penny goes directly to the Union County Christmas Bureau. This organization helps less-fortunate families here in Union County with food, gifts, and financial assistance so that they can have a brighter Christmas season. People often ask why we continue to collect beyond Christmas day. The money we raise actually goes toward next year's Christmas Bureau budget. It is the first donation they receive toward their 2012 campaign. How can folks donate? During each show, a short, 45-second commercial instructs visitors to donate cash or checks using the secure donation box on our lighted sign in front of our display. The total amount raised is updated each night on our website, and the daily amounts are available for anyone to see. How long will the lights will be up? Our display runs each night starting at 6PM. The shows are 20 minutes long and run each half hour. The last show starts at 9PM on Sunday through Thursday, and 9:30PM on Friday and Saturday. It will run every night through New Year's Eve. What is your December power bill like? This is one of the questions people ask the most. The surprising thing is, our power bill is only $30 higher than any other month. What people don't realize is that our lights are not on constantly, like most Christmas lights. They flash to music and thus are off most of the time. How much time do you spend on the display? We work on it all year. Each year since we have started, we add new things to it, sometimes based on great suggestions from visitors. Selection of the music and programming starts in the summer also. Finally, someone (usually my wife or myself) will go out at each show and greet every carload. Everyone gets a candy cane, and the kids also each get a Red/Green glow-stick so that they can take some Christmas light magic home with them. What do your neighbors think? We have the best neighbors on the planet. For the last four years, traffic on our cul-de-sac has sometimes been beyond capacity while the display is running. They all take it in stride, and some even participate. The house next door this year is actually a part of our display, and the house across the street is hosting our webcam which you can see at our website. How many visitors do you get? We have no idea. The only way we can track that is by the number of candy canes we hand out. We try to give every visitor a candy cane. The problem is we always run out toward the end of the season, and the stores don't restock them when they sell-out. Last year we handed out nearly 4800. We didn't run out as in past years due to some kind donations from our visitors. (we also handed out 2100 glow-bracelets) How does your family participate in this display? We all are involved in some capacity. My wife provides much of the musical expertise and shares the programming tasks with me. Several of the electronic light controllers were built by our youngest daughter. Our oldest daughter is away at college this year and is mostly off the duty roster, but she will help with greeting cars during winter break. We all alternate greeting the visitors, with some additional help from our neighbors.