By Shelley Kofler
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-661077.mp3
Aubrey, TX – A lot of us like to put up lights during the holidays. But there are lights. Then there's Vaderville . As part of our Holiday Tradition's project KERA's Shelley Kofler joined the crowd that lines up for the show on Providence Street.
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It's finally dark, and drivers are pulling into a new subdivision in Aubrey. They shut off their engines and turn up their radios.
(music playing)
"That is the coolest thing ever!"
Carrie Barrett brought her daughter Casey
"I like that Santa where he walks in the window."
Jennifer Martinez is back, with daughter Alex.
"I was telling my girlfriend about it at the PTA meeting. You gotta see this house it's crazy. What do you like best about it? The music and the way the lights go with the music it's really exciting."
"I think it's sweet like it goes to the music on the radio."
The sensation on Providence Street is the light extravaganza at Vaderville, the two-story pillared home of Darren Vader. He's a one time music student turned computer consultant whose combined his talents to create a growing holiday tradition.
Darren Vader: "My tradition involves the installation of 10s of thousands of Christmas lights that are synchronized to a play list of popular traditional music. It's always been my favorite time of the year from a little before Thanksgiving until even the end of January. The lights became something I did with my son a few years ago and then last year we wanted to do something a little more progressive."
Something to really draw a crowd.
Vader: "The idea of that video popped into my head and I spent about 2 weeks gathering up parts and pieces and finding little Christmas enthusiast light clubs around the country and asking all kinds of questions. And the day after Thanksgiving we fired up our first little 16 channel animated show."
And this year the show is three times bigger.
Vader: "All of the lights are controlled by this laptop . We can have 148 channels of lights. 48 different types of animation happening at the same time. The laptop plays the sequence through a usb connection and it outputs the audio to an FM transmitter.
Kofler/Vader: "So you have your own little radio station. Yes it's a very small radio station. What kind of range do you have? It's about a mile from here, and most of our neighbors can pick it up."
At 107.3 FM on the dial, Vaderville Radio broadcasts the music while the strobes, laser lights and tiny bulbs blink and pulse to the beat. Red, and white garlands illuminate colonial pillars, a green flashing Christmas tree and shrubs deck the front yeard, bright ice sickles hanging from gables. And a virtual, animated Santa's watching it all from an upstairs window.
Vader: "How long does it take to assemble this every year last year it probably took three days this year all of the new things took another week and your wife's ok with this. She is. She goes and brings all her friends by and doesn't think I'm crazy anymore. What's your goal here. You know you see some neighborhoods they pinpoint that's where you go to see the lights and that's what we want for our neighborhood.
That's why we do it- for the neighbors.