It's starting to look like Christmas at Pleasant Grove Farm

John Cline is preparing to make the light show at Pleasant Grove Farm the best ever. Above is a photo of John with one of the displays in 2011. (Submitted photo)

Did someone say it's starting to look a lot like Christmas?

If you've been anywhere near Pleasant Grove Farm in Stafford Township at night the past couple of weeks, you know what I mean.

Owner John Cline has been working on his annual Christmas light show since July, and he's about ready to welcome visitors.

Cline shared that some medical issues have kept him from producing the kind of show he expects the past few years, but this year will be different.

"I've not been able to produce the kind of show I wanted the last three years because I was either recovering from surgery or radiation treatments," Cline explained. "I am going to make up for it this year."

The show, now in its eighth year, has become a Greene County tradition. A steady stream of vehicles greets area residents each night the weeks before and days after Christmas.

"We've added a few props and moved some things around this year," Cline said. "There are 10 stages or groups of props (lights) that start at the front gate and spread a quarter of a mile over 13 acres.

"There are about five miles of heavy-duty extension cords and about the same of smaller cords."

Cline said he's been working fulltime since July constructing props for the show. He added that programming is a year-round project.

"I have six helpers and we start assembling this after the last mowing in October," Cline said.

His helpers include Norma Partlow and her sister Susan, John Lasiter, Glenn and Brandi Orman, Cody Burdette, and Cade Dalton. Anita Butler, Nancy West and Nadine Roush create inside decorations.

"We hope to have all of it (finished) by Thanksgiving so we can test and tweak the displays," Cline said. "The cold weather has made everything miserable."

What does a supply list for such a project look like?

* 800 controllable channels of lights.

* 15,876 individually controllable lights (the most ever).

* The town square's mega tree has 3,200 pixel lights with 9,600 LED RGB lights.

* 256 solder joints.

* 1,216 feet of power injection feed wire.

* 2,656 feet of rope.

* 800 feet of plastic pipe.

* 4,800-plus feet of plastic ties.

"On the lake is a second smaller tree with 2,400 LED RGB lights," Cline added. "There are four new arches this year with four times the lights as last year's.

"All incandescent lights have been replaced with the more efficient LED lights. We gave our old lights to the city of Linton."

Pleasant Grove Farm is located on County Road 300 South, between County Roads 1050 and 1110 West.

If you're coming from Bloomfield or eastern Greene County, go west out of Lyons on County Road 200 South (Old Lyons Road) and then turn left (south) on C.R. 1050 or 1110. Go about a mile and you'll see the lights.

If you're coming from Linton, go south on State Road 59 and turn left on C.R. 200 South. Go about a mile and turn right on C.R. 1100 West. Go a mile and you'll see the lights on your left.

When you get close, tune your radio to 99.3 FM. The lights and music are synchronized.

The first show is Dec. 7, and runs from 6-10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 26. There are about two hours of choreographed Christmas music.

A patriotic show of about 30 minutes runs from Dec. 27 to Jan. 1 from 6-10 p.m. nightly.

You can find additional information about Pleasant Grove Farm and the shows at www.pleasantgrovechristmas.com and on Facebook at PleasantGroveFarm.

Click here for more photos of the preparations for the 2015 Christmas light show at Pleasant Grove Farm.

Chris is the publisher of the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by email at cpruett79@gmail.com or by telephone at 847-4487.