Fabrizio Gowdy
Gadsden County News Service
A popular Christmas light display outside of Havana is relocating after complaints and pressure from neighbors.
“We’ve been told we’ve outgrown the street and we totally get that, so we made the decision to cool it and move,” said Daniel Allison.
The Allison Christmas Spectacular has lit up Sandy Creek Road from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day every year since 2008. Daniel Allison is the man behind the display.
“My childhood dream started when I was a kid, I loved to decorate everything I could see,” said Allison.
He started the show as a high school senior, beginning with 40,000 lights. Last year, the display surpassed one million lights.
“God is at the core of everything we do, he is the reason for the season, it’s his show,” said Allison.
However, not everyone is happy. Some of Allison’s neighbors have complained about traffic and safety issues, saying they feel trapped in their homes every night for weeks while the display is up. They also argue the display increases the risk of car accidents and would make it difficult for EMS or firefighters to get through in case of an emergency.
Allison says there has only been one accident to his knowledge, and there has never been a single incident with EMS or firefighters. He also says his family pays for a sheriff’s deputy to watch over the event each night and ensure everything goes smoothly.
Allison concedes few people would get stuck in the ditches of the culdesac when turning around, but says better lighting last year helped avoid anyone getting stuck.
Another complaint among certain neighbors is that the light show is a nuisance that brings down the property value of their homes, a claim Allison strongly objects to.
“They have purposefully spread false accusations, want the show in for good, and [want] to trash our family name,” said Allison.
No neighbors responded to a Facebook post soliciting their comments.
According to Allison, many of his neighbors who once hosted his lights on their properties and participated in the show have now turned on him. He claims his family has endured yelling, profanity, harassment, and angry letters, calls, and text messages. The Allisons have even been threatened with legal action.
The family posted a statement to Facebook on Sept. 2 saying they were praying for their neighbors and hoping things would change.
“Some of them were actively part of the show for many years on their own initiative, and now they no longer want anything to do with the show nor us as a family. We’re praying that changes, and that we can reach all of our neighbors with the gospel through the light show and our actions through this whole situation,” the statement reads.
The new location for the display is the Havana Christmas Tree Farm at 2867 Florida Georgia Highway. It will start operating Thanksgiving night and end the night of Jan. 1.
