By Jim Newell
Review Writer
The Lights on the Lake Christmas light show is a merging of two great endeavors: providing holiday cheer and supporting a good cause.
Lindsey-Anne and Rob Gawthrop started the light show last year. They also put on a light show for the Fourth of July.
“My husband wanted to do this last year. We’re hoping to make this a holiday tradition for people,” Gawthrop said.
The light show runs 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, through New Year’s Day.
Anyone who visits the light show – on Shady Oaks off Heights Road – should tune their car radio to 91.3 FM for the musical part of the program.
“This year we decided we wanted to team up with a local charity,” Gawthrop said.
“We just wanted to do something that directly affects Lake Orion. Let Them Play, it’s a great charity. We would like to raise awareness and generate donations for this great cause.”
Lindsey-Anne had taken her daughter, Lake, to Friendship Park and seen the recently installed Inclusive Whirl, a merry-go-round for children with special needs.
The Orion-based group The Daisy Project –whose mission is to help families with special needs children obtain medical and recreational equipment that is not otherwise covered by insurance – installed the Inclusive Whirl, along with support from Orion Twp., as part of their Let Them Play initiative.
“We have a donation box out front of the house so people can drop cash in there. We are holding all donations until the end of the show and then we will give everything to The Daisy Project,” Gawthrop said.
The donation box is about 150 pounds, is chained in place and is under video surveillance.
The light show features 15,000 LED lights over 5,299 computer channels. “Putting them up is really easy. It took my husband maybe half-a-day.”
Programming the music to coordinate with the flashing lights is a little more intensive. “That takes a long time. Each song takes a couple of days to get it just right,” she said.
Once each song is programmed, the Gawthrop’s then must tweak any problems to make sure the music and light are perfectly in sync.
Gawthrop said the neighbors are accepting of the light show and extra traffic, adding that “people are respectful.” She’s also had positive feedback from the people who watch the light show. “They’re happy with it. They love it.”