Holiday cheer illuminates northwest Indiana neighborhood with family’s annual light show and toy drive
DYER, Ind. - In Northwest Indiana, one family is pulling out all the stops to make the holidays merry and bright!
On Capri Lane, ‘The Magical Light Show’ takes months to install and the entire year to design.
Each winter, the Manfre family builds a beaming display that draws visitors from across the nation.
The illumination, which gets bigger and brighter each year, isn't just created to bring smiles to the faces of visitors—rather to local kids in need.
Along with the display, the family hosts a toy drive—collecting new and unwrapped toys for children through two programs: Toys for Tots and NICK, which stands for Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids.
Synchronized to music, visitors can catch the light show between 5 and 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Between the lights, the installation, and the engineering behind the show, it’s all done in-house—with no hired help.
"We typically start between August and September, and we finish about the second week of November," said Kelly Manfre, who helps to design the display. "Kind of just stand back and see how it looks, ‘a little over to the left, a little over to the right,’ that’s my job!"
The music synchronization, alone, takes hours to prepare.
"One song takes about a half-hour, and we have 200 songs, but the setup outside, it takes about three months to do," said Danny Manfre, who designs the display with his wife and parents.
The homeowners tell FOX 32 Chicago their neighbors are incredibly supportive of the annual show.
The Manfre Family says their light count has surpassed 65,000 bulbs, which bumps up the electric bill a few hundred dollars a month. Still, they say it’s worth it.
"The reason why we did it, because it brings the entire community together, it brings joy to everybody, it’s just beautiful to see the kids dancing and smiling," said Danny Manfre.
"It opens up my heart because some of the people are always coming back, and others are coming from North to South Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Alabama—so I told my husband, we cannot stop," said Angela Manfre, homeowner.
A toy collection box is in the driveway, where donations can be dropped off any time through Christmas Eve.
In addition to participating in the donation drive, there’s still time to see the show in-person. The lights won’t go dark until 10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Plus, new this year, the Manfre Family will host a New Year’s Eve countdown celebration. Community members are invited to start gathering outside around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
The Magical Light Show is located at 1315 Capri Lane in Dyer, Indiana.