BLYN — Millions of Christmas lights twinkle across the North Olympic Peninsula in public and private displays from Port Townsend to the West End.
What began as a modest display at 7 Cedars Casino more than 10 years ago has become the Peninsula’s biggest spectacle of holiday lights at the Jamestown S’Klallam tribal campus in Blyn.
“It’s pretty fabulous,” said Jerry Allen, 7 Cedars Casino general manager.
Landscape contractor Patrick Walker has expanded the tribe’s Christmas light display from the casino to the Longhouse Market & Deli to the various tribal buildings on the north side of U.S. Highway and elsewhere.
More lights are added every year to account for growing trees and shrubs.
“It just kind of grew,” Allen said.
This year, more than three million Christmas lights were used for displays throughout the tribal property, Allen said.
In Port Townsend, among the myriad holiday lights is a bright display at at 2041 McNeill St., from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the home of Michael and Merrilee Ridgway, where the sights and sounds of the holiday season are streaming live every night.
The bright display can be seen from San Juan Avenue. It will be up through Saturday.
There, 10,606 LEDs light up the front of the house, the roof, the yard, and even a tall evergreen tree, and the ever-changing display works in concert with music.
“We made the decision to jump into the pixel world and the LEDs are computer driven,” said Michael Ridgway who is an electrician and built his first home computer in the late ’70s. The couple had a similar but smaller display last year.
He said it took him and his wife 10 days to set up the display and program the music. Both of them climbed onto the roof to secure the star to the chimney.
“The music changes with the lights,” he said. “I have programmed 25 songs from all genres that can be heard either outside our home or on 89.1 in your car.”
A special part of the display is a “Support the Blue” theme.
“We wanted to recognize the Jefferson County Sheriffs, the Port Townsend Police and the State Patrol so we have a display that’s just blue,” he said.
In downtown Port Angeles, along with the community tree at First and Laurel streets, tens of thousands of holiday lights shine at the Winter Ice Village at 121 W. Front St.
The inaugural Port Angeles Winter Ice Village and skating rink, which is open daily through Jan. 6, was decorated by Andrew May, a horticulturalist and Peninsula Daily News gardening columnist.
“The Ice Village is pretty cool,” said Marc Abshire, Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director.
“It’s lit up pretty good, but there are some places around town that do decorate pretty well, too.”
Other Port Angeles displays that stood out on a recent evening could be found at 15th and O streets, 10th and Cherry streets and Lauridsen Boulevards and Albert Street.
On Christmas Eve — Monday — a string of luminarias will mark a holiday path on the 1200 block of East Second Street in Port Angeles.
The square lanterns anchored in sand in paper lunch bags will be lit with candles by 5 p.m., said Chuck Turner, a long-time participant in the neighborhood tradition.
Charter bus operator Willie Nelson, who provided nightly tours of holiday light displays in Port Angeles in previous years, has retired.
The “Annual Clallam County Christmas Light Displays” Facebook page has a list of more than 80 holiday light displays in Port Angeles and Sequim that families can tour in their own vehicles.
Among the Sequim highlights of light displays are downtown Sequim — which is dominated by a 30-foot Christmas tree; West Sylvester Court; nd several blocks on Spruce, Cedar, Alder , Willow, Fir, Elk Horn Loop, Dunlap Avenue, North Matriotti Avenue, East Bellfield Avenue and West Sequim Bay Road.
Railroad Bridge Park off West Hendrickson Road has Christmas wreaths with lights hanging from the top of Railroad Bridge and the whole bridge is lined with garland and more lights, making for a romantic walk in the park.
Out in Forks, the traditional viewing spots are in the Terra Eden and Sherwood Forest housing developments.
Back in Port Townsend are notable commercial window displays. The Palace Hotel at 1004 Water St., won first place in the Port Townsend Main Street holiday window display contest for its Port Townsend Train Station window display. Second Place was awarded to the Port Townsend Antique Mall, 802 Washington St., which offers a vintage Christmas display.
Honorable Mention went to the Winter Window on Washington Street by The Red Truck Foundation. This is the inuaugural year for the display in a vacant storefront at 823 Washington that features a minature Christmas village.
Also seen in window displays are — in Uptown — an Elvis sighting at Castaways, a Pantone prism of color at Studio-STL, luminaries in the entry of Puffin Shoe Repair and Jefferson Land Trust, dancing s ugar plum fairies at The Parlour Salon, festive greens at Petals and Finistere and a decorated tree and holiday décor inside Aldrich’s.
Downtown are the floating frames photo booth at Frameworks NW in the Undertown, the Tin Woman with Heart in the window of Olympic Art and Office, snow falling at Bubble N Squeak, a windowscape at 1851, animated elves at Expressions, a dancing Santa at PT Shirt Company, a Celtic Christmas at Wandering Angus, and Native American stockings and garland at Pacific Traditions.
In Quilcene, the prodigious lighting generally provided by Richard Chadwick is somewhat subdued this year because of personal issues, but he told of lights on the community tree and Quilcene School’s colors of purple and gold placed along the walkway to the gym “so that when opponents show up to play games they have to walk under our school colors to get to the gym,” he said.
Henery Hardware and Gear Head Deli on U.S. Highway 101, as well as the Worthington Mansion at 151 Columbia St., are illuminated for the holidays, Chadwick said, as is The Picket Fence at 22 Washington St.
Scattered ornaments bring color to the fence in front of the school.
“It’s cool when you come down the road,” Chadwick said.
A variety of homes in Quilcene and elsewhere in South County “went crazy with lights,” he added.
Back in Port Townsend, Merrilee Ridgway said she loves Christmas and it is a special time. Her home display on McNeill Street “brings joy to everyone,” she said.
”The best part about this is watching the kids and older adults as they drive up and hear the music,” Merrilee Ridgway said.
The couple can be found outside greeting light watchers. Merrilee said everyone who drives by gets a candy cane.
One woman told her that the lights are a type of therapy.
“When she has a bad day at work and she’s grumpy, she said she comes over here and watches our lights and feels a whole lot better.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Jeannie McMacken can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jmcmacken@peninsuladailynews.com.
Executive Editor Leah Leach also contributed to this story.
Thousands of miniature lights adorn the trees and shrubs surrounding 7 Cedars Casino in Blyn. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
An illuminated pastoral scene with a holiday theme is displayed at 704 S. N St., in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
The gazebo at Washington Street and Sequim Avenue in downtown Sequim glows red for the holidays while a blue waterfall of lights is displayed on a nearby building. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
