Christmas spirit is bright at this Clear Lake home

by Marianne Gasaway

The Christmas spirit is shining bright at the home of Ryan and Kelly Bowman in Clear Lake.  As a matter of fact, it’s radiating in every color from a 20-foot tree, snowflakes, arches, wreaths, candy canes, stars and mini trees.  And it’s all set to music which you can tune in to from the comfort of your car.

Five years ago the Bowmans visited a synchronized light display in Burlington, Iowa and that’s when Ryan says he was hooked.  A self-confessed computer geek, he was fascinated by the intricacies and animation of the light show.  The next season he constructed his own scene at his Hum-

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boldt home and residents there enjoyed seeing it grow over the next four years.

Now it’s Clear Lake’s turn.

The couple moved to Clear Lake this year when Ryan accepted a position teaching computer science at Clear Lake High School.  His love of computer engineering carries over from the classroom to daily life in a festive way each winter when he and Kelly decorate for the Christmas holiday.

“The first year I started with an eight-foot tree and window outlines with singing bulbs which can be computer synchronized. Year two I added yard decorations; year three we added two-foot mini trees.  This year we have re-configured the display to the new house.”

Work to customize the display to the shape of their Clear Lake house began just after Halloween.  

“Of course the (new) house is a different shape, windows are different sizes and yard set up changes, so I needed to make adjustments,” Ryan explained.

Each of the specialized lights (technically called pixels) Ryan uses contains a computer chip.  Each pixel contains a red, green and blue LED, allowing them to shine in every color of the rainbow.  Lighting software is used to run the show from a mini computer that sends a signal out to a series of controllers. 

“There is a huge community of people like me who love to do things like this and they share sequences, but sometimes I make my own,” Ryan explained.  Kelly also adds her ideas for music and sound.

Ryan’s ingenuity doesn’t stop at computer programming.  He  has constructed most of the display props, including the 20-foot tree which serves as a centerpiece.  He used an old boat winch to be able to crank lights up and down.  And although there are about 7,000 pixels used in his display, the cost to present the light show is very reasonable since the lights are LED and run very efficiently.

“Most houses with a few strings of lights probably use more electricity than I do,” he said.  “My display would be the equivalent of running about three to five 100 watt bulbs a night.”

Ryan also has a website and Facebook page featuring general and technical information about his Christmas light display.  It can be found by searching Soundsational Christmas Lights.

The Bowman’s invite the public to drive by and enjoy their light show through the Christmas holiday, and possibly through the month, depending on weather.  Their home is located at 1804 W. 5th Ave. N.  Hours for the musical light show are 5:30-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. To experience the synchronized musical Christmas light show turn on your radio to 88.7 FM and turn off your headlights for the best viewing experience.

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