Dr. Darryl Zeleniak in Augusta is not just a terrific orthodontist (my daughter had him and loved him) but also a great guy who is passionate about, not only his work, but also, Christmas lights that are in sync with a variety of songs. When I say he's passionate, I'm not exaggerating!

He's been to Tennesee and Pensylvania to light shows and to take classes in the art of lighting and, judging by what you can see at the corner of State and Green Streets, he's a good student.

THE ART

The lights, which are a myriad of colors, are all programmed to blink, brighten or dim on certain beats of every song in the repitoir.  If it looks intricate, just imagine how painstaking it must be to program every change of scene, no matter how small.  Every flash, every blink, every twinkle is a seperate command.  And when something doesn't fit into the scene just right, the command has to be altered a bit.  Working with kids must help give him patience (and patients).  Power consumption isn't as bad as you may think because most of the lights are of the l.e.d. (light emitting diode) variety.

WEDDED BLISS

Now you might think his wife Karen would be shaking her head and thinking, "boys and their toys."  In reality, however, she's caught the bug.  In October, when it's time to start setting things up, she's there by his side getting into the spirit and offering ideas on how things should operate and where they should go.  Nothing like a good hobby in common to keep a marraige strong!  No word on what transpires when there's a "light" disagreement, though.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND TUNE YOUR RADIO

If you want to marvel at this magnificent display, you can do it from aroung 5 weekday afternoons until 9.  On weekends, the show may start a bit earlier.  It still stops at 9.  Insofar as sound is concerned, there are speakers outside the house if you want to feel the fresh air and get a closer look however, if you want to stay warm, you can also sit insider your car and tune the radio to 88.1 FM to hear the tunage.  Without any sound, the lights, while pretty, don't make much sense.

So this Holiday season I'm thankful for the wonderful lights, Michelle's straight teeth and a six pack of Moose Drool Ale from Montana.  Thanks, Dr. Zee!!

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