Larsen's Light Show ready for prime time

CAMPTON HILLS – Larsen's Light Show is headed for a prominent spot on a national TV series.

Brian Larsen, whose show annually attracts long lines of cars to his home at 42W891 Beith Road in Campton Hills, said Tuesday that the home will be among those featured on "The Great Christmas Light Fight."

Episodes of the show will air in December, starting with an hour-long show at 8 p.m. Dec. 9. Then there will be two-hour shows at 8 p.m. Dec. 16 and 8 p.m. Dec. 23. Larsen's home will be among 20 to be featured on the show, which is billed as "a new competition series" in which homes are decorated "to the extreme for Christmas."

"To be recognized as one of the top 20 light shows in the country is pretty big," Larsen said.

Larsen said he knows the house already has been a destination for many, with dozens of cars often parked to get a glimpse of the show, which features 1 million lights synchronized to music. Anticipating even bigger crowds, Larsen has built a parking lot near his home, which can accommodate 40 cars.

The shows will start at 5 p.m. Thanksgiving night and run through Jan. 2. Larsen said the shows will be shortened, which should help keep the lines moving. Also, he said there will be requests for a $7 donation, with boxes in the parking lot as well as on the road.

Putting this year's show together was a challenge, Larsen said. Because of the rules of the contest, he had only 21 days – he called it "21 grueling days" – to set up the display.

Parking is not allowed on Beith Road, but cars traditionally have lined the shoulder of the road, facing east on Beith Road. But police said cars facing west pose a particular hazard, and such cars could be ticketed by the Campton Hills Police Department. Campton Hills Police Chief Dan Hoffman said it's a safety issue. If there's snow, for instance, it has been necessary to have tow trucks out to remove people from ditches.

Hoffman said there are more signs out this year, and police will try a "more proactive approach." And he lauded Larsen's efforts, saying though it might be "a headache" for neighbors and police, that Larsen "has been accommodating."

Larsen said he never had this in mind when he started his show, which is going on for its seventh year.

"It was strictly to try to create family traditions for people," he said. "It's something to do, to get the kids in the car and grab some hot cocoa. … Like back in the days when families were really close, and make it a family tradition to come and watch the Larsen lights."