NOW LOCATED AT :

24830 Edison Road, South Bend, IN 46628

For the safety of our viewers, we have moved our lights to the side of our property for the coming 2024 season. This will create a safer viewing area off the highway.

Please check out the map so you

can see this year's changes!

We can't wait to see you!

MEET THE MAN BEHIND THE LIGHTS

Hi, I'm Gary Mayfield, and I am the 'Man Behind The Lights'! I've always enjoyed the Christmas season, ever since I was a child, from the time it brought with family, cutting down the tree, decorating inside and out. Coming from a family with a mechanical / machining background and my love of Christmas, it was kind of fitting that I combine the two.

I started putting lights up back when I was just 10 years old, over 32 years ago, man, that sure was a while ago! We would get together for Thanksgiving and while everyone was taking naps after the big meal, I was outside getting the lights and cords out. I remember being told many times to come inside, and that it was getting late; but I wouldn't come in till I had everything up!

Nothing has really changed over the last 32 years when it comes to Christmas, besides some gray hair. Once I found out about animated lights that you could make dance to music, I felt like a child again as this was something new to incorporate into my display. For the last 10 years I have been doing some kind of animated musical light display, although like most, what started as just a hobby, for me, turned into a real passion!

Advancement of technology has played a big part in how the display is done now. While in years past, we used the normal string lights that you can find at your local store, we have stepped into the future making the transition over to pixels. Basically, a red, green, and blue LED that has a mini computer hooked to them that we can tell them to do what we want via a computer. It's a lot of year long planning, building props, and programming; along with everyday life things of course that need taken care of.

But every year, as I sit in the house while people are watching the lights, it's the "Look at that!", the "That's pretty!" and the singing from kids that I can hear inside my home that makes me stop and think how much I loved this time of year as a child. If all the hard work that is put into my display is only seen by one person, and it has a positive affect on someone, then it's all worth it.

My father recently passed on June 6th of this year, 2025. Both my parents were/are hardworking and would help anyone any way they could. When my father's health (Alzheimer's) started to take a turn for the worse, my mother spent every minute of the day taking care of her husband of 46 years for the last 5 years of his life. By doing so, this had a big impact on their finances. While the family did what they could, there were a few things that had been neglected due to the strain this put on the finances. With the rising costs of things, the roof on their garage was put on the back burner. Now it has gotten to the point where the wood in spots has rotted and the gutters have started falling off. There are no more band-aids that can be done; it needs to be fixed. Tarps have been temporarily placed until the funds can be gathered to have this work done. We have had a few quotes given and this amount was about in the middle to have all the work and repairs done. With all the stress, not only from losing a husband but all the financial stress my mother is going through trying to make ends meet, this would be a big burden that she wouldn't have to deal with and could concentrate on her own health.

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