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Wayne & Diane Smith Light Up The Night In Salisbury

12.14.2020 By: Megan James

Wayne & Diane Smith Light Up The Night In Salisbury

When I called Wayne Smith to ask about his magnificently over-the-top holiday lights display, which I had visited for the first time the night before, he said, incredulously, “How long have you lived in Addison County?! And this was your first time?!”

Wayne and his wife, Diane, have created an outrageous wonderland of illumination on their Salisbury property every December for more than 25 years. In the nearly two decades I’ve lived in Vermont, I had never seen it. 

Wayne & Diane Smith Light Up The Night In Salisbury

Wayne, who just retired from 28 years driving a bus for the MUHS sports teams, said he’s seeing even more visitors than usual this year. Last Friday and Saturday nights drew 100 cars each.

Watching folks admire the lights is always a joy for the Smiths, but it has had extra significance this year.

“It’s been a crazy year for everybody,” Wayne acknowledged. “Our household has been a little crazier because my wife had a heart transplant on Mothers’ Day.” Wayne explained that Diane spent 44 days at Boston General Hospital last spring. “She got the ultimate gift: a new heart.”

Her recovery has gone well enough that she is now taking care of their 3-year-old granddaughter two days a week, he reported. Still, because of her compromised immune system, the Smiths have been truly housebound throughout the pandemic. 

“I’m lucky, my living room chair lets me see the cars come in and out,” said Wayne. “Especially this year when we can’t have any contact really.” 

Wayne & Diane Smith Light Up The Night In Salisbury

Wayne and one of his neighbors start setting up the display each year on November 1. By the day after Thanksgiving, they’re ready to roll. They use half a mile of extension cords and 14 timers to automatically turn the whole thing on at dusk and off at 10 p.m. He says his electricity bill goes up about $20 a day. At 9 a.m. on January 1, they take it all down and store it in Wayne’s “toy shed,” an industrial-size garage on his property.

“It’s our Christmas present to the community,” he said.

Do the Smiths plan to keep doing the display each year now that he’s officially retired? 

“As long as I’m still healthy and I’ve got neighbors to help,” he said.

Wayne & Diane Smith Light Up The Night In Salisbury

Want to visit the Smiths’ display? It’s on North Pond Road, which is just off Lake Dunmore Road in Salisbury, halfway between Kampersville and Camp Keewaydin. Don’t worry; it is so bright, you literally cannot miss it.

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Upcoming Events

Dec
8
Fri
8:30 am Mary Hogan Playgroup @ Mary Hogan Pre-K Classroom
Mary Hogan Playgroup @ Mary Hogan Pre-K Classroom
Dec 8 @ 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Playgroup is open for all children ages birth-5 and their families on Fridays (following the ACSD school calendar). A light snack will be provided. Please call or email Deb for more information.   
10:30 am Bixby Storytime @ Bixby Library
Bixby Storytime @ Bixby Library
Dec 8 @ 10:30 am – 11:00 am
Little ones and their caregivers get together for stories, songs and play.
10:30 am Lincoln Storytime @ Lincoln Library
Lincoln Storytime @ Lincoln Library
Dec 8 @ 10:30 am
Little ones and their caregivers get together for stories and songs.
3:30 pm Chess Club @ Ilsley @ Ilsley Library
Chess Club @ Ilsley @ Ilsley Library
Dec 8 @ 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Join Mary Jane and Alexis in the Jessica Swift Community Room. Chess players of all ages are invited to bring a board and play chess.  This program runs Fridays during the school year, but don’t [...]
5:00 pm Snowflake Stroll @ Downtown Bristol
Snowflake Stroll @ Downtown Bristol
Dec 8 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Stroll through your favorite shops while searching for secret snowflakes. It’s like a whimsical treasure hunt, where the snowflakes hold the key to winning Bristol Bucks, which can be used to explore more of what [...]
5:30 pm Salisbury Spaghetti & BINGO @ Salisbury Community School
Salisbury Spaghetti & BINGO @ Salisbury Community School
Dec 8 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Come join Salisbury Community School for our first spaghetti dinner and BINGO Night to help support Salisbury Community School Student Activities, such as field trips, new supplies and equipment, and student enrichment programs. We will [...]
5:30 pm SD Ireland Holiday Truck & Candy... @ Bristol Town Green
SD Ireland Holiday Truck & Candy... @ Bristol Town Green
Dec 8 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Bundle up and help Santa find his lost Candy Canes!  Santa will be arriving at the Town Green with his friends from SD Ireland at 6 p.m.  Candy Cane Hunt at 5:30 p.m. Prizes will [...]
6:00 pm Ceasefire Shabbat — Chanukah Edi... @ McCullough Center, Middlebury College
Ceasefire Shabbat — Chanukah Edi... @ McCullough Center, Middlebury College
Dec 8 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Showing Up for Racial Justice and If Not Now invite you to join them in demanding a thriving future for all Israelis and Palestinians. Light candles and welcome Shabbos with prayers, candle lighting, and singing. [...]
6:00 pm Teen & Parent Winter Craft Night @ Ilsley Library
Teen & Parent Winter Craft Night @ Ilsley Library
Dec 8 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Teens in grades 6 and up are invited to bring a parent for a night of gingerbread house making, cookie decorating, D&D, Warcraft, miniatures and more.
7:00 pm ‘A Christmas Carol’ @ Town Hall Theater
‘A Christmas Carol’ @ Town Hall Theater
Dec 8 @ 7:00 pm
We all know and love Dickens’ famous story A Christmas Carol.  MACo proudly presents our original adaptation, true to the novella, which deftly integrates Dickens’ witty, pointed, and socially conscious narrative with the heartwarming and familiar [...]
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