WILNO – Irene and Leonard Kuiack met 60 years ago on Halloween night in Wilno.
When Leonard retired from Darlington nuclear plant in 1993, the couple decided to build a house on Hillcrest Road in Wilno.
On the drive from their home in Whitby to Wilno, while the house was being built, Leonard saw a light display of a pair of reindeer on the roof of a house across from Paudash Lake. He stopped his car and asked the owners where they bought their light display.
That chance event started an annual tradition for the Kuiacks.
They now have Christmas light displays all over their property, and over their neighbours properties up and down Hillcrest Road.
The Kuiacks recently won first prize in the home category of Christmas lights display organized by Killaloe-Hagarty-Richards township.
When asked why he enjoys putting up his display of lights, Leonard has a clear answer.
“I was born to a big family, six boys, two girls, and well I’m 82 now. So, that was back in the Depression years, we didn’t have [much money]. Now, if I can put this up, and make the people happy, it will be good, honestly. It gives me a good feeling.”
The couple regularly travel to Kodak, (near Knoxville) Tennessee, to where the light displays are made.
The light units are built in four feet by eight feet sections so that they fit in a van.
The helicopter light display was not built that way.
Get your January 4, 2017 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full article.