The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/619413
D-2 Christmas Greetings Wednesday, December 23, 2015 The Press-Dispatch PETERSBURG MOOSE #1617 115 Pike Ave., Petersburg ( 812 ) 354-9480 Merry Christmas and Warm Wishes this Holiday Season! A childhood fascination with Christmas lights and decorations has led to a life-long mission for Loretta Miley to give her community the best Christmas light display around. By Andy Heuring She has been putting out Christmas lights and dec- orations since 1969, when her father, William Dent, gave her a Santa and a snowman. From that, more than 40 years later, she now has more than 40,000 lights and untold displays stretched over several acres around her house on CR 650 N., just east of the Twin Oaks Church. Loretta grew up in Oak- land City on Highway 64, where her father began putting up displays when she was a child. She and Henry Miley got married in 1967 and in 1968, Hen- ry was sent to Vietnam. She put up a small dis- play in 1969. "In about 1970, he got tired of put- ting them out and gave them to me." Her humble display then, in the same area where she still lives, was a Santa and a snowman. Then her father gave her a nativity scene and some lights. When her husband Hen- ry got home from Viet- nam, they loved Christ- mas lights. So they, like many people in the area, would drive over to Mon- roe City to see a large dis- play in a front yard. Then they started branching out and traveling all the way to Olney and Newton in Illinois. Not only were they enjoying viewing the Christmas lights, Loret- ta was getting ideas. She started picking up ideas from the various displays she was viewing. Miley started building displays, beginning with a Santa's workshop. She just kept adding to it. She now has about 20 small framed houses, display- ing things such as San- ta in his workshop, Santa and Mrs. Claus working, snoring and whistling. There is a house with Mickey and Min- nie Mouse, one with the Grinch and the list goes on and on. Most years, Miley adds something new to the dis- play, often a current pop- ular trend. To give you an idea of the time frame she has been putting lights out, those trendy exhibits in- clude: the original Nin- ja Turtles, Barney, Win- nie the Pooh and recent additions have been Min- ions as, well as Olaf and Elsie from Frozen. "Some of them are pushing 35 years. I did the Ninja Turtles when Joe (her son) was young. He is 37 now. They were starting to look old, so I had to repaint them this summer. I spent most of the summer painting dis- plays." Miley said she has had to paint the house dis- plays several times, but this year she decided to put a tin roof on them, so they will be less mainte- nance. "We are just trying to keep them together." She said much of her summers are spent do- ing maintenance. "It nev- er stops." "I wanted Christmas trees this year." She put out more than 20. Her display has some- thing for everyone. A San- ta in a helicopter, a steam roller driven by reindeer with grandma being run over, a giant rubber ducky in a swimming pool and then there are the stan- dards. She has at least six nativity scenes. "I think the rubber ducky is my favorite," said Miley. Her statement gives you an idea of the wide variety of things on dis- play. "There is probably no other Christmas light displays in the world that has Ninja Mutant Tur- tles, Minions, Olaf, Bar- ney and a rubber ducky." Miley said she starts setting up the displays in September and works long hours all the way through November to get them ready to turn on by Thanksgiving. "It on- ly takes a couple of days to take them down, but it feels like forever to put them up." She gets help from her sister, Bonita Smith, and her son and his girlfriend, Stephany, and her children, Tren- ton, Kaydon and Dillon. Once the lights are turned on at Thanksgiv- ing, they stay on near- ly every night until New Year's Eve. "Since I-69 opened, our traffic is down a little bit," said Miley of her display that is visible from High- way 57. "This year, I didn't turn it on early in December on nights early in the week. On the weekends, I always have it on." During the week, she said they are usually on until about 9 p.m., but on the weekends until about 11 p.m. "If we still have traffic coming in, we will leave them on later." "Our electric bill is out- rageous. It is more than a thousand dollars. Way more." A few years ago, Miley said she entered a Christ- mas light display contest based in Vincennes. "The prize was to have your electric bill paid. We won, but that is the last time they did the contest. They haven't done it since." Miley puts out a dona- tion box, but she said it seldom has donations. "I used to go out and stand at the end of the drive and watch as people drove by. I still do every now and then if the weather is good. It isn't as fun when the weather is cold." "It doesn't matter if we get donations. We don't do it for that, we do it be- cause we want to. Henry and I don't give each oth- er Christmas presents. This is our Christmas." It is a wonderful Christ- mas gift to the area for little children and every- one who loves Christmas lights. Thank you so much for a greaT year! 804 E. Illinois St, Petersburg (812) 354-2277 Hours Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday: 11am - 9pm Friday & Saturday: 11am - 10pm See Ya at the House! Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Loretta paints a wooden Olaf cutout she plans to give to her niece. Miley said she spent much of the summer repainting many of the wood displays. Lights of Fancy Loretta and Henry Miley of CR650N have so many individual Christmas decorations in their multiple acre display they can't name all of the. They start putting up the decorations in late September and have to hustle to get them all in place by Thanksgiving. Loretta first started deco- rating with a Santa and a snowman her father gave her in 1969.