The Show of Shows in Hesperia
By Ken De Laat There are few things that remain more consistent in my childhood memories than the appearance of Christmas lights. Our cul-de-sac street (referred to back then as a ‘dead end') had just over a dozen or so houses and only a few bothered with holiday lighting. My friend Hank lived across the street and his house was the most festive as his Dad put some time and effort into his display. Our house had a small collection of lights around the area by the front porch and and a couple of other homes maybe put out a string or two but just seeing them begin to pop up here and there produced a bit of Christmas spirit and more, importantly, it meant the Big Day was surely in sight.A couple streets over was house that, at the time, seemed like a massive display. There were lights along the house and even in the shrubbery and lo and behold some of them even blinked off and on. But that was as they say ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far far away’. When my kids were young house lighting had truly come into its own. Massive displays were common in our suburban neighborhood and reports of houses around and about the area that bordered on spectacular meant a nighttime drive to check out the efforts. There is still a bit of a thrill seeing the lights come up and hereabouts there are several places that utilize technology to create some impressive displays. Then there is the Deater Family show. Last year Doug Harmon did a story for us on the spectacle that piqued our interest, (https://www.nearnorthnow.com/the-pulse/christmas-lights) and running into Bobbi Jo Deater a while back she hinted that husband Tim had developed a few more tweaks to the display, apparently an ongoing, ever evolving process for him. Lil and I decided to combine one of our ‘in need of a really good burger’ visits to the Brown Bear in Shelby with a stop at the Deater Show. This, my friends, is the absolute motherlode of lighting excellence. If you have not paid a visit to the Hesperia area residence of Tim, Bobbi Jo and family you are missing perhaps the hands down best show in the region if not the universe. They have put together an innovative and downright magical show that begins on the hour and runs for 45 minutes AND includes musical accompaniment that can be tuned into your car radio while you watch. It is absolutely stunning and the photos here don’t come close to doing it justice, thus we refer you to the fb page called Deater Family Light Show. However, the only way to truly experience it of course, is to immerse yourself with an up close in person viewing. The house is at 6344 E Garfield Rd and easy to locate after 5pm for obvious reasons. If this doesn’t thrust your Christmas spirit into the stratosphere, you’ve way too much Grinchiness in you. Well done, Deater Family. Well done indeed.
3 Comments
12/1/2023 07:53:37 am
Thanks Ken for the amazing review! I'm glad you made it out.
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Chris Beckley
12/1/2023 09:23:46 am
I love down the road and love opening my curtains in the morning, and see colored lights dancing.
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Laureen Deater
12/5/2023 02:45:32 pm
Thank you so much for a great show. Everyone loved it.
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