December 2010 - Allegheny West Magazine

STORY AND PHOTOSBY CATHERINE ROBERTSThe Christmas season brings out many colorfulsights and sounds. Almost everywhere you go youcan see brightly lit houses strung with lights tocelebrate the season. On occasion, you can find a housethat has a unique kind of light display. Joey Falcioni, 14, of NorthFayette, has just that. He single handedly programs and sets upChristmas lights that are annually displayed on his house. Joey evenhas his own radio station which you can listen to for the songs that heis playing.The lights are programmed to do certain sequences and patterns foreach song that is played. Additionally, music can be heard playingoutside his house and on his radio station. The display is amazing toview, and it is not uncommon for people to stop and watch.When asked what inspired him to do his display he replied, “In2007 I saw a video of a guy’s Christmas lights synchronized to music.After researching it, I came across the necessary hardware and softwareto do this myself.”He first started his light display three years ago. Since then hisdisplay has grown and has gotten more advanced. In previous yearsJoey synchronized lights to songs such as “The Carol of the Bells,”“Let it Snow,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “All I Want for Christmas isYou.” This year the songs include “Winter Wonder Land,” songs from“A Miracle on 34 th Street,” and “Carol of the Bells.”Each song takes around twelve hours to complete on the computerprogram. From there, the lights are plugged in and controlled by thecomputer. He sets up over 6,000 lights that are all LED. Because eachstring has to be individually plugged in, Joey has over 2,000 feet ofextension cords.“It’s actually costfriendly.”he said.“The lights arecomputer controlledso they are usuallyon only 60% of thetime. And with theLEDs the cost isnot much morethan usual.”The lights are onfrom around7 to 10 p.m. onweekdays andeven longer onthe weekends. Tosee the display foryourself, take a ride to Walden Woods inNorth Fayette, and, as you near Joey’s house at 107 Forest GlenDrive, tune your radio to 90.1FM.His advice to those who are interested in setting up their owndisplay is, “Start as soon as possible, watch for when lights go on sale,and have fun and enjoy the experience.”The tradition of putting up Christmas lights has captivated Joey,and he plans to continue it for many years to come. So whether youput up lights of your own or enjoy looking at others, it is a great wayto get in the holiday spirit and enjoy the season.36 Allegheny West Magazine December 2010