CHESTERLAND – It’s only October, but planning for Christmas is already in the works. One local golf club owner has his mind set on creating one of the biggest Christmas light setups in Northeast Ohio.
His reason is simple: “My father used to do the lights and it was great,” said Water Miraglia, owner of Berkshire Golf Club. “We just remember that as kids -- how spectacular it was.”
Already, work has started to transform Miraglia's golf club into a drive-through display that will feature 2 million LED lights that dance to music.
The first step for workers is to dig trenches for miles of electrical conduits to power the whole thing. The centerpiece will be what Miraglia calls the North Pole Castle, a house decorated with 300,000 lights (the typical house in a neighborhood may have a 3,000 lights).
Taking on a project like this isn’t cheap.
“Our overall cost is going to be somewhere around $800,000 this year to put up and take down,” said Miraglia.
The light display will open on November 23 continuing through the end of the year. The cost is $25 per car to go through the 1.25 mile-long display (you get a $5 discount if you say “Merry Christmas”).
And the money will go to a good cause. After helping pay for the cost of operation, remaining funds will go to three charities – American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, and Valor Retreat at Highrock.
Miraglia says, “this is an opportunity for us to give back to the community and give to these three worthy causes. That’s the most important part.”
Setting up 2 million lights can be a daunting process. But Miraglia has assembled a very capable team, their work includes light displays in NELA Park and Rockefeller Center in New York City, among others.
They’ve already started to assemble and program the lights in a workshop in Huntsburg. When the work is complete, it’ll be moved over to Chesterland to be installed.
The music will be piped into your car using an FM radio station so you can stay warm while you enjoy the light show.
“It’s a very windy road so there’s anticipation around every corner,” said Miraglia. “We’re going to transform Berkshire Hills Golf Course in Bethlehem Hills Christmas Light Park.”
This will be the first year for the event but Miraglia is already looking to the future.
“I would love to do this every year for the rest of my life. I wish this was my job.”