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Real Estate News Releases
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(EstateNewsWire.com, November 21, 2012 ) Coeur d Alene, ID -- The grand opening of the Magic Christmas in Lights show at Mobile’s Bellingrath Gardens and Home is set to occur on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
The show, which has been a southern Alabama tradition for many years, features more than
3 million lights on more than 1,000 set items in 13 different displays placed throughout Bellingrath’s 65-acre estate garden.
For 2012, the show is using more than 14,000 light strands, 7,700 electrical extension cords, 377,000 replacement bulbs, more than 100,000 twist ties, and nearly 5 miles of steel, all at a cost of around $160,0000.
The annual display is overseen by Bellingrath Gardens and Home Executive Director Bill Barrick, who has been on the job since November 1999. When he took over, Barrick noted that the Christmas display put on Bellingrath was somewhat lacking.
“I referred to it as a south Alabama yard sale,” Barrick said.
Barrick implemented a number of changes, such as hiring Clare Graham, a former colleague of Barrick’s at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., to come in and give the Christmas display a facelift.
Graham, whose resume include designing part of the electric parade at Walt Disney World, came in and overhauled the display. Graham has come back several times to work with Barrick on making changes to make the next year’s display even better.
One of the obstacles that Barrick faces is that he has simply run out of space to place anything new. For example, the rainbow and unicorns had to be warehoused so that this year’s new display, a North Pole-theme scene with polar bears, could exist.
Barrick notes that improvements, such as LED technology, make his job easier every year.
“You don’t have to change as many light bulbs; they don’t fade; and they last a whole lot longer,” Barrick said.
The staff at Bellingrath Gardens begins working on the Christmas display in the middle of September. They start by putting the lights on the shrubs. Then, as opening day approaches, more workers are brought in to set up the larger pieces.
Barrick says that the final dress rehearsal is scheduled for Monday, “to make sure we’ve balanced all the electrical loads and panels and to check the mechanics” as well as check on the pathways safety lighting.
The Magic Christmas in Lights display will be open daily from Nov. 23 until Dec. 31 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. They will be closed on Christmas Day. Tours of the Bellingrath Home occur every half hour until 8:30 p.m. Admissions to the gardens only is $15 for adults and $7 for children ages five to 12 (children 4 and under get in free). Entrance to both the gardens and home is $24 for adults and $13 for children ages five to 12 and free for children four and under.
About HPotter:
HPotter (http://www.hpotter.com) is an online garden center that offers outdoor decorations and garden supplies. H Potter offers small items, such as planters and trellises, as well as large items like patio furniture and gazebos.
H Potter
Customer Service
509 921 1640
news@postpressrelease.com
Source: EmailWire.Com 
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