The Faces Behind Boyd County’s Light Trail
Lora Parsons
The Ashland Beacon
If you’ve traveled the backroads of Boyd County and the city blocks of Ashland following the BOCO (Boyd County) Light Trail, you’ve seen the homes, twinkling lights and blow-up contraptions that decorate our town at Christmastime. But, you’ve likely missed the behind-the-scenes details that make the viewing possible. While there are hundreds of families in our area who participate, three stand high above the rest (sometimes literally). The BOCO Grinch, the Ward Family Light Show (both with a Facebook presence), and the Tacketts on Willow Drive in Catlettsburg, are all stops you won’t want to miss!
This time of year, one corner lot in Westwood magically transforms into a mini Whoville. Viewers are welcome to get out and chat with the Grinch or just drive on by, likely being ushered past with a little Grinchy traffic directing and maybe even a fun-filled extra special green “moon” to REAR your Christmas spirit right up! Light enthusiasts would normally have to find the BOCO Grinch perched high above the city on Mount Crumpit. But, a couple of years ago, the Grinch reported that “those joyous Who’s down in Whoville became eerily quiet…TOO QUIET.” He “decided to sneak into town at night and attempt to remind them all how they made [his] heart grow three sizes.” He just wanted to share the love, hope, and Christmas spirit that had impacted him so much. What he wasn’t prepared for was his heart growing a fourth size due to the Who’s that he sees along the BOCO Light Trail. Their smiles and hugs continue to bring him off Mount Crumpit every evening in Dec. from 6-8 p.m., weather permitting. You can find the Grinch and stop for pictures and a hug at 442 Bellefonte Road, in Westwood. Cara and Patch Conley would love to snap your photo and laugh along with you as you chat with their favorite Grinch. Follow our own BOCO Grinch on Facebook for updates on times and special appearances. If you’d like to vote for our Grinch, despite his sometimes stink-stank-stunky antics, he is stop #22 on the trail. He’ll “thank you from the bottom of [his] 4XL heart!” #ConleyChristmasCorner
If the size of decorations is what matters to you, then a stop by Willow Drive to view #44 is a must for your family! A house-sized, 20-foot Santa and snowman dwarf most other inflatables. While these are definitely the largest in the Tackett’s yard, the two are not lonely, with 34 others joining the show. The total collection began more than 20 years ago, increasing annually as new pieces are added. The setup begins the first weekend in Nov., takes a couple of days to complete and is a whole-family effort with the Tackett’s sons and grandchildren joining forces. Unique Disney-themed pieces can also be found in this display as well as other characters representing their grandkids’ interests. Due to the size and number of inflatables, it is important for the Tacketts to carefully monitor weather conditions. Linda recounted that “On more than one occasion, we’ve had to chase down a runaway snowman.” While their yard is covered in Santa, snowman, and Disney-themed pieces, their one must-have is always a Nativity scene to “show the true meaning of Christmas.” The lights, inflatables, and the sheer size of their giant pieces make this a home to put at the top of your to-see list!
To get a full dramatic evening bathing in sparkle, Light Trail visitors should swing by last year’s winning home, #39, located at 4924 Taylor Lane in Catlettsburg. The Ward family participates for one reason alone: “We just love looking outside at night and seeing cars lined up watching our show. That’s a better feeling than winning will ever give us.” Winning an event with so many participants requires sweat equity which starts for the Wards in Jan., making this a year-round endeavor. Their show began in small form when they lived in the apartments near Cannonsburg Fire Department, grew a little with a move to West Ashby Drive, and then became part of the consideration when searching for their current home at Lakinview in Catlettsburg. The storage in the attic and basement were perfect for their outdoor decor and 15 interior trees. Part of the growth in their light show has also been transitioning from older to newer LED lights, resulting in a brighter display. They were “expecting them to be brighter--but nowhere near how much brighter they ended up being! It was like high noon at night with these new lights.” This led to the decision for a full-fledged light show, consisting of approximately 10,000 lights, with 2,100 of them being RGB pixels. While putting out this vast number of lights takes time on the exterior of their home, neighbors and passersby fail to see that there is interior work to be done as well. Only the Ward family sees “the insane amount of hours late at night sequencing the lights to music. Our system isn’t plugging into a little box that makes lights go on and off. It’s running networks, making sure lights are plugged into the right channel, making sure you get controllers as weatherproof as possible, and troubleshooting so that you get the result of what you saw on a computer screen when you watch it from the road.” The prep work for this system is what begins in Jan., with purchases starting in April and physical setup beginning by at least Nov. The mega tree is a new addition since last year, and plans are already underway for another new addition next year. To top off the show of lights, viewers can tune their radios to 89.5 FM to hear the songs that the lights strategically “dance” to, including traditional Christmas songs as well as current pop hits.
Whether you’re young or old, in search of size or a show, want to drive alone or with a vanload, there’s something for everyone along the trail! Take dinner to Taylor Lane and sit in the car with the radio on and a light show in front of you. Drop in for pictures with the Grinch in Westwood. Check out the two-story inflatables and Christmas countdown clock at the Tacketts. Just don’t miss the twinkle and sparkle that can be found along this year’s BOCO Light Trail! An interactive map, the list for voting, and addresses can be found at https://visitboydcounty.com/holiday-trail/. The 55 homes will leave you with a sparkle in your eye and a little extra Christmas spirit reflecting in your rearview mirror.
