nortonlights

We're Up and Running!

2011-12-06T05:44:00.002-05:00

We started the show on Saturday night and had a great turn-out! We are running nightly, Sunday through Thursday 5-9 pm and Friday and Saturday 5-10 pm until Christmas.

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers that have signed up to help with traffic, questions, and to help hand out candy canes. We couldn't do it without the support of volunteers, our neighbors, our community, and family and friends. Thank you!

We have a donation box at the end of the driveway for cash or check donations to Make A Wish of Maine. Together we can make wishes come true!

When you plan on visiting, please be considerate of our wonderful neighbors and do not block any driveways.

Thank you, drive safe and have a Merry Christmas!

Kick-off Saturday night!!!!

2011-11-29T13:08:00.001-05:00

Testing lights, making signs, programming music….we’re
getting closer!!! Saturday will be here before we know it and WE CAN’T
WAIT!!!! The show will kick off this Saturday
night at 5 p.m. and will be running Sunday through Thursday nights from 5-9
p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5-10 p.m. until Christmas night. If you would like to contribute, there will be
a donation box at the end of the driveway for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of
Maine, together we can make wishes come true!
Merry Christmas!

Many hands make light work....

2011-10-23T15:44:00.002-04:00

Thanks to a pretty amazing group of young men, our yard is well on it's way to being ready for tomorrow night's kick-off! Thank you Chandler, David, Jeffrey, Steven, Peter, Andrew, Ryan, Nathan, Robert, Jake, Daniel, Charlie, Jeffrey, Reed and Ken!

There will be a donation box for canned goods for St. Mary's Food Pantry at the end of the driveway during the show. Please help us fill the shelves.

The show will be running nightly starting Monday, October 24 from 5:30-8:30m, Friday and Saturday nights from 5:00- 9:00 until Halloween!

We are so excited to share this year's show with you! Please help us spread the word!

Have a safe and SPOOKY Halloween!!!!!!

OPERATION: SCARE 'N SHARE

2011-10-18T06:29:00.002-04:00

Well....we're at it again!

We kick off our annual OPERATION: SCARE 'N SHARE next Monday, October 24th and will run every night through Halloween. We will post times in the upcoming week. We hope you can all stop by and help us spread the word!

We will have a drop box for canned goods at the end of the driveway. Please help us fill the shelves at St. Mary's Food Pantry before the upcoming holiday season.

We are so excited and have a few new "spooky" additions to this years show! Hope you all can make it!

Have a SAFE and FUN Halloween!!!!!

A visit to Make-A-Wish

2011-01-05T05:36:00.002-05:00

Last night we visited the Portland Make-A-Wish office to drop off your donations. It is always a humbling experience to go there and see all of the pictures on the wall and signs and letters from wish recipients and their families. I hope you all know that you DO make a difference in the children's lives and their families. Every donation, no matter how big or small, goes towards a magical experience and wonderful memories made for these very deserving families.

After recounting all of the money, a last minute donation, and the boys emptying the change out of their piggy bank (their choice of course, I am a proud mom!)...the grand total was...

$11,002.83!!!!

We were so excited and wish that every person who put a donation in that little metal box at the end of the driveway could be standing right there with us!

Drumroll please.....

2011-01-03T10:09:00.004-05:00

The grand total for total donations to Make-A-Wish of Maine is........

$10,961.33!!!!!

Thank you to EVERYONE....there are no words to explain how grateful we are to all of those who helped set up, direct traffic, and help to spread the word (friends, neighbors, newspapers, NECN, radio stations, etc, etc, etc). Thank you to our AMAZING and generous neighbors, thank you to our "candy cane fairies" (who knew we were running out and supplied more). Thank you to zipties.com for your supplies...thank you to Hayley and the Desjardins family for starting the show! Thank you to Mutty Freeman for his help with the intro to the show. Thanks to everyone who waited in line patiently and all of the kind words you shared with us....you showed us what the Christmas spirit is all about and we thank you.

Thank you to EVERYONE at Make-A-Wish of Maine...you are ALL angels on earth. You make magic for people who need it the most.

What a great year we had and we owe it all to YOU! Thank you.

A bit slower these days...

2010-12-28T16:57:00.003-05:00

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas....we sure did!

The lights are still on and will be running nightly through 12/31 from 5-9 p.m. It is much, much quieter now and we aren't expecting lines like we had before Christmas. If you didn't get the chance to come by before Christmas, there is still time :)

This will be our last year running the show after Christmas. Next year we decided that our last night will be Christmas day. We try to be outside handing out candy canes and directing traffic every night up until Christmas, so after the big day, we like to have some family time. We are going to try to start the show one week earlier than we have been, so that everyone gets the chance to see it.

We are still collecting donations for Make-A-Wish until the 31st and will be presenting the checks to them sometime shortly after the 1st. We will make an announcement on here and on facebook to let everyone know how much money was raised...we think you will be very surprised. I know we say it often, but we are continuously overwhelmed by people's kindness and generosity. We cannot thank you enough for your donations. It is because of YOU that a child will be granted a wish. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year,
The Norton Family

YOU DID IT!!! YOU GRANTED A WISH!!!

2010-12-21T06:36:00.002-05:00

Thank you so much to our generous and caring community! Last night we surpassed the $6000 it takes to grant a wish of a child who needs it the most! You have given a very special gift to a very deserving family and we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.

We wish that you could hear the stories that we hear from people every night. There have been so many lives touched by Make-A-Wish. To hear and see the impact it has had on people's lives has really touched us in a way that we could have never imagined. We could not have done this without you.

We will still be collecting donations for Make-A-Wish of Maine through 12/31 for these amazing children and their families. Every donation, no matter how big or small makes a difference for someone. It will then be given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine on behalf of everyone who donated. The people that work for Make-A-Wish are angels on earth, who do incredible work everyday. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with them again this year, and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Merry Christmas and God Bless!
The Norton Family

Oh what a night...

2010-12-19T15:29:00.002-05:00

Saturday has been our busiest night so far! Everyone was so patient and kind despite the wait. We are getting closer and closer to our goal of making a Maine child's wish come true! Thank you so much to everyone. You are making wishes come true!

NECN will be doing a feature on Nortonlights on Monday. They told us it will be on Monday morning between 5-6 a.m. and then again between 7-8 a.m. If you miss it, they told us it will be on their website by Monday afternoon. Thank you so much to Marnie and Dave and everyone at NECN! We are very excited.

Thank you again to all of our wonderful friends, neighbors and community. You are going to make a magical difference in a child's life, what an amazing Christmas gift!

'Tis the season....

2010-12-14T13:04:00.003-05:00

We just LOVE what we do!

We are having a blast this year with our many, many visitors! So many people have come from near and far to see the lights. We love looking down the driveway and seeing little faces pressed against the windows of their cars. It is such a joy to look through the reflection of the lights blinking in the car windows to see little mittened hands clearing away the glass to get a better look, and we are constantly amazed at the joy a candy cane can bring.

Thankfully, the rain has stopped, which makes our jobs much easier. With all the water, we have had a few glitches, that thankfully only took a few minutes to fix. "Stanta" has needed to take a few more breaks than normal to warm up and dry off in between visiting cars.

Saturday was a very busy night, with cars lined up around the corner. At one point, we couldn't see the end of the line! Thank you so much to Jeff, David and Emily for you help! Also, a huge thank you to Mary and Beth for your candy cane donation. We couldn't have done it without you. Everyone was so kind and patient despite the wait and the cold...thank you so much!

We hope that this weekend is just as busy as last weekend. We are almost half way to our goal of $6000, which would grant a wish of a Maine child, what better gift to give this Christmas season.

Let there be light!!!

2010-12-09T06:07:00.003-05:00

A HUGE "thank you" to York County Coast Star for the GREAT article! Thank you for helping us spread the word!

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20101209-ENTERTAIN-12090373

Christmas Cheer!!!

2010-12-06T06:56:00.002-05:00

The show kicked off on Saturday and what a wonderful, magical night it was!!!!

Hayley (last year's wish recipient) and her wonderful family were here to kick off the show! She turned on the lights and was even interviewed by Channel 8 news! We are so blessed to have come to know such an amazing family.

We were so surprised that channel 8 and channel 13 news showed up, it was so cool! It really helps to get the word out, so that hopefully we can grant another wish this year. We also found out from one of the on-lookers that we were in the Journal Tribune...we had no idea! This morning someone told us we were on 94.9 FM!!!

Saturday we were also visited by a HUGE stretch limo with a bunch of really fun ladies who were celebrating a birthday. People came up from as far as Massachusetts and we even had a surprise visit from my sister and my nieces from Rhode Island! It is so fun to see everyone and we are continually overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our community.

Sunday was pretty busy too. I wish that everyone could see the children's faces who come to visit...it makes it all worth-while. I love that their faces light up and they will dance and sing for all to hear. The joy they get from lights and a candy cane puts a smile on our faces and in our hearts.

We want to send out a HUGE "thank you" to our amazing and supportive neighbors....we truly could not do this without you and your support. Thank you for putting up with us :)

Just a reminder....
Sunday - Thursday 5 - 9 pm.
Friday and Saturday 5 - 10 p.m.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Melissa

We can't wait...

2010-12-02T14:24:00.002-05:00

Saturday is just around the corner! We are so excited!

Just a little more programming, testing and fixing lights and we are ready to go! We did a test run this morning around 5:30 while it was still dark out and it is beautiful!!!

We are so excited to share that Hayley, last year's wish recipient, and her wonderful family will be here to kick-off the show this year! They are a generous and caring family that do a great deal for their community (check out hugsfromhayley.com) and we are so happy to have come to know them better this past year.

Just a reminder...
The show starts this Saturday at 5 p.m. and runs nightly through 12/31.
Sunday-Thursday 5-9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 5-10 p.m.

There is a donation box at the end of the driveway for Make-A-Wish of Maine. Together we can make wishes come true!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!!

2010-11-28T16:25:00.002-05:00

We are just one short week away from the start of the show! The lights turn on Saturday, December 4th at 5 p.m. and we couldn't be more excited.

We have been blessed with wonderful family and friends who have been a HUGE help to us this year. Thank you to Bill and Joan Roberge (my mom and dad) who have spent many, many days here hanging and testing lights, having you here certainly made all of this work a lot more fun. Thank you to Dan and Robert Brann who spent an entire day here....thank goodness Dan isn't afraid of heights, we couldn't have done it without you. Thank you to tiewraps.com who have generously offered to send us 2000 zip ties (we go through thousands a year attaching lights to the front of the house and to the trees). Thank you to Mutty Freeman, he helped us out with our show introduction as the voice of "Santa". Thanks to our Thanksgiving visitors, Stephen, Dale, Ken and Brent who were here for our "test run" and helped with the finishing touches. There have been countless others who have offered to help, and we thank you too! A special thank you to Mike Desjardins and the Desjardins family who have become friends throughout this process. We know that with the help of these wonderful people, the show will be better than ever!!!

So far, 34,000 lights have been tested and programmed!!! After a little more programming and some finishing touches....we will be ready to go!

The show will run from 5-9 Sunday through Thursday and 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Please be sure to check back for updates and changes.

And the results are....

2010-11-01T18:51:00.003-04:00

Operation Scare 'N Share and the generosity of our community generated 412 food items and $156.39 for the food pantry!!!! Thank you to EVERYONE who helped support us! Your generosity is AMAZING!!!

It's HALLOWEEN!!!!!

2010-10-31T06:11:00.002-04:00

It's the final night of Operation: Scare 'N Share!!!

We can't believe it's already here. We have had a great time sharing our light show with our community and we have had a lot of visitors! It is so much fun to look outside and see all the kiddos dancing to the music! Thank you to EVERYONE who has dropped off canned food items for the food pantry, your generosity is AMAZING!

Tonight is the last night.....don't be scared! Come on by to Scare 'N Share!

Halloween is fast approaching.....

2010-10-26T06:59:00.003-04:00

Operation Scare 'N Share is in full swing! We can't believe Halloween is just around the corner. Please help us spread the word and let's fill those shelves at the food pantry!

Our First Night!

2010-10-18T07:25:00.003-04:00

Last night was the first night of the show and it went GREAT! It is so much fun to see it finally up and running and we have even been talking about ideas for next year.

Please help us spread the word. Tell all of your friends and neighbors! St. Mary's Food Pantry really needs our help this year. Let's stock those shelves!

Something Wicked!

2010-10-16T08:16:00.003-04:00

Well, I think we're ready for showtime! Stan finished up the last of the programming last night and we had a sneak peek. It looked great, a little more spooky than last year, but still lots of fun. Ken and Rachel (Melissa's sister and husband) came over to help with the final details. We still have to finish up making the signs to direct people to the house....but we can't do that today, BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO SALEM!!!!! Our annual trip to the "Witch City" is today and we are all so excited! It is the perfect way to get in the Halloween mood!

Mark your calendars for Sunday night! The show starts at 7 p.m. and runs nightly through Halloween! Come on by.....if you dare.

The Fright Crew!

2010-10-12T19:55:00.012-04:00

The "Fright Crew"

Ryan, Nolan, Jonah, Stan, Reed and Nubs the dog.

This weekend we had lots of help! Our dear friends, Nolan and Jonah came over for our annual yard decorating and they were a HUGE help. The boys are becoming quite the experts in "exterior illumination" and even offered to help decorate for Christmas!

My parents, Joan and Billy also came over as we tried to perfect the "ghoul face" on the front of the house. Thank you for your time, patience and your many, many trips up and down the ladder!

Stan has been programming for the past few days, but it's certainly not easy being in a sling! I have been putting together a flyer to put up around town and trying to figure out this whole "blog-thing". I can't believe that the show starts on Sunday!!!!

Programming

2010-10-06T11:26:00.000-04:00

This is Reed working on the programming. They break down the song into 1 second (or less) intervals to make the lights dance to the music.

It's getting closer....

2010-10-06T11:10:00.000-04:00

We are still working on Halloween! We have a fun medley of songs this year that lasts about seven minutes long. The songs go from scary to fun, so there is something for everyone. We had fun playing with Audacity this year (a music program) and found out new ways to put songs together. Now that we know how to do it, we are even more excited for Christmas music.

Reed and Stan have been programming the lights at night (when we aren’t at the soccer fields), and today we are outside (in the yucky rain) wrapping the trees and designing the spider web. Unfortunately, Stan is scheduled to have shoulder surgery tomorrow, so we are especially panicked to get this all done. Thankfully, we are blessed with wonderful family and friends and they have offered to help us out.

We are hoping to run the show the last two weeks of October, which should give everyone time to come by and see it. Remember to set aside those canned goods for Operation: Scare and Share.

Check back for updates here and also check out nortonlights on Facebook.

~Melissa

New to blogging

2010-09-10T11:38:00.000-04:00

Hello All!

We are new to blogging, but figured we would give it a try to keep everyone updated on our progress this year.

We are starting to plan for Halloween! Operation: Scare and Share is under way. We are already programming one song, picked by our new friends, the Desjardins Family. Hayley, last year's Wish recipient, really likes the song, "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell and we thought it would be perfect for this year's show. Reed has started the process and will be programming the lights to sing along the words of the song. We designed a new "face" for the house this year (it is a little creepier than last year) and we have discovered that Reed is excellent at programming the mouth and the blinking (which is a HUGE help...it is a very long process).

We also had some really great suggestions for other songs..."The Adams Family", "Monster Mash", "This is Halloween", etc...but you will have to stop by to find out what we picked!

We plan on updating our website with showtimes in the early part of October. We will also be posting times on Facebook and here on our new blog!

Operation: Scare and Share will be a canned food drive. If you would like to donate, just bring a canned food item and place it in the drop box when the come to see the lights. We will be donating all of the food to St. Mary's Food Pantry in Wells.

So, check in for updates and we hope to see you at Halloween!