After 16 years bringing cheer to Lawrence, the synchronized holiday display known as Parkside Christmas will not return.
Married couple MaryAnn and Gary Martin had curated the light show in front of their home, 1132 Parkside Circle. Every evening from Thanksgiving into the new year, visitors were welcome to park across the street, turn their car radios to a short-range FM station, and watch as lights danced through a 20-foot-tall “megatree,” a host of snowmen and more.
“In 2008 there wasn’t anything like it in Lawrence, so we thought we’d bring it to our hometown as our Christmas gift to the community,” Gary said via email.
A programmer by trade, Gary handmade most Parkside Christmas fixtures. The “megaflake” above the garage, the snowmen, and the chorus line of poles and arches were all created in his shop. He said he usually designed shows running at one-eighth the normal speed, meticulously ensuring the effects matched the music as precisely as possible.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
“Many people think we just plug the music in and it’s all automatic,” he said. “The truth is so far from that it’s ridiculous.”
Gary, 62, said the display brought almost two decades of fond memories. But the depth of his and MaryAnn’s investment sunk in as they began aging and operations became more expensive, and when they realized they were using most of their vacation time to set up the display. They decided it was time for a “changing of the guard,” Gary said.
Nestled in their home on festive evenings, the Martins became quickly accustomed to Parkside Christmas’ flashing lights. Gary said hanging heavy drapes over windows mitigated any visual nuisance indoors.
More concerning were the crowds, Gary said, and their impact on the neighborhood. When temperatures were warm, people sometimes wanted to blast music with their car windows rolled down. Occasionally, people in tour buses, limos, and one time a snow plow driver taking a break in a snowstorm stopped to marvel at Parkside Christmas.
Only one neighbor over the years was a Grinch about it all, Gary said; no one else minded. Infomercials ran in between songs on the radio to remind people not to park in driveways and to turn their headlights off, and Gary said he and MaryAnn periodically checked if their neighbors had concerns.
Christmas displays are considered temporary decorations, and the city doesn’t have specific related ordinances the Martins had to navigate. There was originally a homeowners association in their division, but it’s been discontinued for years, Gary said.
Lawrence resident Tricia Tourney said she loved visiting the display annually — one night with her husband and another a ladies’ night with four friends, hot beverages in hand.
More than 100 comments flooded an announcement the couple made to the Parkside Christmas Facebook page in October. Past visitors shared deep gratitude.
“Over the 17 seasons we ran the show we have many, many fond memories of its impact,” Gary said. “Exchange students from other countries writing us letters exclaiming how much they enjoyed it. Little kids dancing in front of the display or elderly school teachers out there doing the *same thing*.”
Gary’s advice for anyone interested in launching their own seasonal display is to start small. Intentions are important, too, he said. Production takes time, money and effort.
“You have to want to do it for the joy it brings the kids, not to try and enter the competition shows on TV,” he said. “So take your time, join the national forums out there for it and be creative.”
Visit parksidechristmas.com to view some past years’ displays.
Fortunately, there are other light shows that will dazzle and keep spirits bright this holiday season.
We’re working to update our annual map of holiday homes, and we need the community’s help to make sure it’s up to speed.
Here’s where you can find the 2024 edition. If you can help us confirm that a location will have lights again in 2025, or if you know for sure that we need to remove a location from the map, please fill out the quick form at this link.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Latest Lawrence news:
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
