Leechburg is lit.
Leechburg Lights, the annual synchronized holiday music-and-light show, is open for the 2019-2020 season — its 12th.
The free show invites visitors to enjoy a unique visual display from the comfort of their vehicle by tuning their car radio to 100.3 FM. Visitors also can park and walk up for a more personalized peek.
Clyde Lindsey, the show’s creator, is often available for Q&A from attendees.
“I love answering questions and hearing the kids scream with excitement,” Lindsey said.
Lindsey is a nationally recognized light “sequencer” and “lighter,” a person with the hobby of programming, designing and building holiday lighting displays.
He left a local management job in the restaurant industry to pursue his sequencing passion, starting his own business, Pixel Pro Displays, in 2017 after launching a successful YouTube channel and producing more than 130 video tutorials.
These days, Lindsey travels for sequencing gigs nationwide.
“I just returned from working out in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Arizona and I’m working from home and traveling a lot,” Lindsey said. “Leechburg Lights is up a little later this year, but I do this for the community and the lighting community.”
Lindsey is a Vandergrift native but calls Leechburg home.
New this season?
A fresh playlist of more than 35 songs provide about 80 minutes of no-repeat music and eight rooftop reindeer and 16 mini-trees.
Lindsey controls the show from his laptop and set-up time took about three weeks.
A standard song requires up to 40 hours of sequencing to match the music with all of the lights.
“There’s a lot of new old classics like Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters,” Lindsey said.
Amanda Ehrman of Gilpin took her two young children to view Leechburg Lights last week.
“It’s a wonderful holiday tradition that the community can enjoy. I’m sure it takes an immense amount of time to orchestrate the show. I love seeing it every season and my kids love it and are amazed and my daughter Addi gets mad when we have to drive away and my son Blake said he’s amazed and wants lights like that when’s he’s older,” Ehrman said.
Angelique Sinko of Leechburg said watching Leechburg Lights gives her quality family time with her three children.
“It really reminds me of when I was a kid and we used to drive around and look at all of the Christmas lights,” Sinko said.
But don’t look for Lindsey’s mega-tree this year, a severe wind storm toppled the mast last February.
“I would like to re-do the mega-tree but I’m too busy with the business. This hobby has paved the way to my business profession. This is my payback.”
