by John Dowd
When it comes to Christmas lights, most people put a few up over the porch, along the roof rim, or simply out in the yard. However, one couple outside of Stevensville, has gone all out and they say, “This is truly a hobby.”
Stevensville couple John and Heatherlyn Rudow have prepared something special this year when it comes to Christmas lights, and for many of those who have seen their elaborate light shows, the show has become a tradition for the holidays.
The Rudows have taken Christmas lighting to the extreme, and have installed nearly 15,000 lights in their yard, all linked and programmed to work in unison with music.
The light show in progress. Unfortunately, photos definitely do not do the show justice, as the main draw is how the lights are timed to music. Photo by John Dowd.
John said they use the “Xlights” program to create the show, then link them through a Raspberry Pi device. It takes hours of programming and they even lay out the cables in early October to test the power. That way, they don’t need to dig into the snow to find the problems. The show includes numerous props, like singing trees, a screen made of lights, arches and more, all covered in lights. In fact, the “mega tree” alone has over 2,000 lights and stands over 13 feet tall.
Most of the props are made from corrugated plastic, cut to shape. The couple orders these, then they install the lights. They have to build the frames, which are constructed from PVC, wood and steel. The technical stuff is up to John, while a lot of the imagination behind the setup comes from Heatherlyn. She is also the one that puts all the lights into the props.
When asked why he got into it, John said he has always been into electronics and loves the challenge of making it all look good.
“You’re always working out how to make it work, how to fix it,” said John.
He enjoys the trouble shooting and the satisfaction of putting on a great show, but the best part for him is seeing the families come out to enjoy the show. He and Heatherlyn have often heard people tell them what they do is “like a gift to the community.”
“I like to hear that,” said John.
They have had hundreds of people come out to see the lights, and John often stands outside and hands out candy canes and helps control the traffic. Cars line up on both sides of the street, and the show has over 600 followers on Facebook where the couple makes updates.
John and Heatherlyn Rudow outside their home, where the lights are set up. For those interested in watching the light show, the Rudows live at 344 Haley Ct, Stevensville. Photo by John Rudow.
According to John, the neighbors actually like it and they are some of the biggest supporters of the show. Neighbors will often come out, sit by the fire pit and enjoy the show.
This will be the fifth year the Rudows have been doing this in the Bitterroot. They start just after Thanksgiving, and usually go until around the end of December. The Rudows hold the show every night of the week, Sundays through Thursdays, 5:30 to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays, 5:30 to 11 p.m.
The whole show is about 54 minutes, from start to finish. However, the show is made so people can jump in at any time. They can flow through without feeling like they have missed anything, and watch numerous songs. Each song is themed, either Christmas, religious, patriotic and more. Be sure to check out this reporter’s personal favorite, the “Elf Song,” about the criminally low wages and underappreciation of Santa’s workshop elves.
They also include some scripture in the show, and the “real story of Christmas,” as John explained. To them, that is an important piece of what they do. For the music that the show is set to, visitors can tune their car radios to 92.5 FM. “That way, it’s not loud for the neighbors,” said John.
John added that a lot of people want to donate money to the show, or pay to watch it. They even had a local electrician donate his time to help them work out some early issues this year. John often hears people say they expect the Rudows’ power bill to be “crazy high,” but he says, “it really isn’t.” They do not want to take anyone’s money, and John added that they just do it for the community.
“It’s a whole lot of fun, it really is,” said John.
However, this year, the show is for more than just fun. Last year, they donated Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This year, they have partnered with a family in Darby who has had a rough year.
“We thought it was a great cause to support,” said John.
Celeste White described their year, saying, “It’s just been a roller coaster from hell.” Earlier this year, White’s 18-year-old daughter, Danali Mathis, had to be Lifeflighted to Spokane after it was discovered that her kidneys were in rough shape. Danali has been suffering from an unknown kidney disease, which came to light earlier this year. She was rushed to the hospital and it was discovered that a lot more was wrong. The problems could not be handled in Montana, so she was airlifted to Spokane on July 3. According to Celeste, “Her kidneys were toast.” Danali was in the ICU in Spokane for four days, where she had numerous transfusions. Now, Danali needs dialysis three times a week, and has to travel to Missoula for that treatment.
Danali Mathis and Celeste White in the hospital. Photo by John Dowd.
Celeste said they have no idea why or how this happened, and it all seemed to happen so fast. So far, they have ruled out cancer and suspect an autoimmune disease that is no longer present but destroyed her antibodies. Celeste said this would make sense, because when looking back there were a few signs. Danali was often sick in school and seemed to catch every illness that came through.
This ordeal has left Danali 100% disabled, and she cannot even get out of bed some days. She is on the transplant list, which could mean two to three years of waiting.
Danali wanted to be a welder and had a scholarship to the University of Montana, but they “had to put the kibosh on that,” said Celeste. The whole thing has left the family financially and emotionally crushed.
The Go-Fund-Me set up for those visiting the light show to donate through.
They have an account set up at TrailWest Bank for donors to be able to write off their contributions, called “Kidney Disease Awareness.” They were also invited to the Darby rodeo grounds, where they met the Rudows. There, they were asked by the rodeo organizers to set up and tell their story. Additionally, they were invited to a benefit and have been working to raise money and awareness to help Danali, and others like her.
For more information about how to help Danali and her family, interested parties can contact them at mathisceleste@gmail.com.