Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 25 December '85 53

Three Displays

(From Page 1) exhibit well-organized. HE DESCRIBES what he does as "a labor of love." "It has to be, to stand out here every night," said Lambert, who personally greets visitors with a hearty "Merry Christmas" and a candy cane. "I don't know how many times I sat up until 6 o'clock in the morning planning what I'm going to do this year." "Some people come in and want to give me a donation, but I don't accept them," he added. "I do this for my enjoyment, and I tell them to give their donation to some worthwhile cause." Because of the large amount of lights, and the small amount of help, Lambert keeps his He numbers each set of lights to correspond to the bush it belongs on, and checks and catalogues each string before storing them. He has a system of underground wires that keeps his strings safe for careless walkers. The most amount of lights (2,000) hang from a 70-foot tower, and form a giant Christmas tree. LAMBERT TRAVELS quite a bit, and said he tries to pick up pieces for his fantastyland wherever he goes. At least two of his animated doll displays come from the old Zaberer's Restaurant on the Black Horse Pike. Among the toy animals that prowl Lambert's managerie are lions, tigers, bears, chipmunks, bunny rabbits, mice (including Mickey) and Dancer, Prancer. Donner, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dasher and Rudolph. Santa's famous reindeer. But there are real-life critters, too. Swans, Canadian geese, and ducks swim in his lake and occassionally come out to mix with visitors. Lambert said the title of his estate came from a book he read 20 years ago. in which a world traveler dreamed about finding a paradise and retiring. If he ever found it, the character said, he would name it "1,000 Summers." Lambert said he knew he found his paradise the moment he set eyes on it. "There's no place in Cape May County like it," he said with a proud grin. "None." Meerwald's Wonderland Francis Meerwald puts 43 years experience into his Wonderland of Lights exhibit in South Dennis. His one-acre display of more than 20,000 outside lights and three flashing walkways started, simply enough, as a private Christmas celebration in 1942. "The first year we just put candles in the window," he said. "The next year we added lights on the house and the following year we began putting lights on the rest of the property and the shrubbery." Eventually. Meerwald's display began to catch attention and people started flocking to his house to gawk at his creation. "Finally, we got so many people coming we had to put walkways in and add a park ing lot." he said. "There were so many people standing in the street to look at it, we were afraid someone would get run over. So we opened it to the public (in 1952. roughly)." MEERWALD ESTIMATES there are 20,000 outside lights and 6,000 inside his house, including 500 on one Christmas tree alone. His wonderland, which is located just of Rt. 83 between Routes 9 and 47. also features a nativity scene. Santa and his reindeer perch on one of his buildings. Motorists traveling north on Rt. 47 should turn right on Rt. 83 Meerwald's Wonderland lies on the right hand side, about one-quarter mile down the road. Visitors are charged a nominal fee. which goes to offset the cost of setting up and maintaining the exhibit. The charge for adults is $2. 50 cents for children. Children under eight are admitted free. Meerwald estimates it costs $3,000 a year to set up the exhibit He has to replace strings and 1,000-1,500 bulbs a year and hire labor to man the parking lot and take tickets. His electricity bill rises $25-30 every night the lights go on, he said. He also hires Brian Collins of South Seaville to help him set up the display and roam the property checking lights. EDNA MEERWALD coordinates inside activities when the couple opens their house on Dec. 14, 21, 26 and 28. Edna and helpers offer visitors punch and cookies and run the small store attached to the house, where colorful postcards of the Wonderland are sold. All proceeds of the Dec. 14 Open House, roughly $650, were donated to the Dennis Township Fire Hall and Rescue Squad. 1 Meerwald charges $3 for adults and $1.50 for 1 children on Open House nights. 1 Collins and Meerwald begin setting up in mid-October and finish about two months. I

But, Meerwald said, he spends all year planning his Wonderland. "I think he lives for this thing." said R. Wayne Tozer of Clermont, who acted as Santa Claus on Dec. 14. "He spends half his life planning what he wants to do. "I think he was the first person in Cape May County to do anything like this," Tozer added. THE WONDERLAND is open Dec. 14 to Jan. 1 each year, except on Dec. 24. The lights, which are activated by six time clocks, are on from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Francis. 77, and wife Edna, 64, who have no children to continue their tradition, said the future of the seasonal attraction is uncertain. "We don't know how long we will continue," Francis said. "It depends on our health." "It takes a lot of hard work to do this each year," he added. "But, as long as we have our health, we'll continue." Meerwald, who runs an egg farm on his three-acre property, saidbetween 100 and 400 people a night come to view his handiwork. Edna said the most come on Christmas Day. "You'd think people would want to spend that day at home with their family," she said, "but they don't they come here." Harry Stokes On most of Dias Creek Road the speed limit is 45 m.p.h., but near the intersection of Stagecoach Road at night traffic slows to a crawl. Some motorists stop completely. That's where Harry Stokes. Jr. lives. For the past 11 years, Stokes. 67, has been adding Christmas lights and decorations to his Court House property. The result is a real traffic-stopper. Stokes estimated that 30-40,000 lights adorn his house and the shrubbery and gazebo on his property, including a string of red lights that wrap around the entire length of the 700-foot fence runnirfg around the perimeter of his yard. BUT THE FENCE isn't intended to keep folks away during Christmas time. "We don't mind if people come and walk around the yard, and look at the decorations," Stokes said, speaking for himself and wife Margaret. "My aim is to get people into the Christmas spirit." His yard is also stocked with decorations including several snowmen, a Noel sign, a collection of giant wrapped presents. Santa and his elves, a sleigh. Carlie Brown and the "Peanuts" gang and a horse leaping the gate at the entrance of his property. The horse stays year-round, but sports a red ribbon for the holiday season. STOKES AI.SO OWNS live horses, among other things. "We have miniature horses, goats, donkey, lambs and a lot of rabbits." he said "When the weather is decent, people bring their childen and we use ( his barns ) as sort of a petting zoo." Stokes said he gained experience in Christmas decorating when he owned two properties in Wildwood. "Five Mile Beach had a house decorating contest that we used to enter, and won quite often." he said. "After a while we stopped entering because it wasn't fair to the other contestants. We won too often " TO GET MORE people into the Christmas spirit. Stokes advocates a Middle Township house decorating contest. "I would be willing to put up prize money if some other group would sponsor it." he said. "I wouldn't enter it, but I would support it." Three or four workers help Stokes put up his decorations each year, including sons Ronny. 40. and Harry John. 43. Ronny makes the figures on the lawn. His crew began setting up two weeks before Thanksgiving, and finished Dec. 13. After little Christmas, Jan 9. they will begin to take it down, a process Stokes said takes about two weeks. STOKES WAS UNABLE to estimate how much the display cost to set up. but did say it doesn't help his electric bill "My electric bill (for the display) last year was about $1,000." he said. "This year, it should be about $1,500." Besides adding to his display, Stokes must buy more lights just to keep up with the march of nature. "The trees grow more every year, and I have to buy more strings and bulbs to cover them," he said. Stokes buys sockets, bulbs and wires and makes his own sets of lights. I buy them by the thousands." he said. "I think I've bought every white and red light in Cape May County, from Ocean City on down." THIS YEAR, Stokes added so many lights he's had trouble with blown fuses and even

News Digest O ( From Page 1 >

The Planning Board last week culiminated three years' work by amending its Comprehensive Plan. Jarmer said his staff will project at the likely results by 2020 in terms of the environment. tourism, schools, police, etc. It will be "an ongoing project." he said. College Go-Ahead CREST HAVEN - With 11 of 15 members present, the Community Col lege Proposal Review Committee last Wednesday agreed to recommend county freeholders hire consultant N. Dean Evans of West Chester, Pa., for $16,750. Evans, who has headed community colleges in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, will do a needs survey, evaluate proposals and recommend which way the county should go in meeting its education goals. Subdivision Approved COURT HOUSE - Middle Township plans to subdivide and sell a 28-acre lot on Hand Avenue north of Dory Drive, according to Mayor Michael J Voll Middle plans to divide the parcel into 15 lots, ranging in size from 34,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet. Middle purchased the land for $70,000 several years ago, when Sam DeVico was mayor, and planned to build a municip ' complex on it. "We could ease the burden on taxpayers with this sale." Voll said. The subdivision goj, planning board approval Dec. 17. Reward? Humbug! ERMA — The life-sized lion figurine section from Lou Lambert's "l.ooo Summers" Christmas display Dec. 7 was returned by a group of youths Dec. 12. The lion, valued at about $475. was brought back after Lambert posted a $100 reward. But the kWs didn't collect "I told them they caNd^go to the police if they wanted a rcwa>^\ said Lambert, who implied tne youths Rrovrfcho stole it Lower T&U/nship Police br Danny Strickland sahUhe kids wouldrhave to pursue it civfllyXjf they wanted the reward ^ — _ y Mills Resigning fcoURT HOUSE - Mike Mills. 39. announced Dec. 18 he will resign from the Middle Township Sewage Commission effective "as soon as it is convenient for (the commission) to get a replacement." Mills, who was elected to a three-year term last January, said the board takes up too much of his time. "I work with the scouts and am involved in several other activities and I'm trying to back out of some of them," he said. Mills is an electrical contractor who lives in Court House

Business as Usual WILDWOOD — Mayor Victor DiSylvester and Council President Edward Herman accused each other of throwing tantrums last week during a heated debate on an ordinance that would create a $35,000-a-year post of Public Safety director. Retiring city Business Administrator Marc Pfeiffer has filled that position without pay. but Herman wants to separate one job from the other A pending amendment would substantially reduce the proposed director's salary DiSylvester plans to nominate Police Chief Ralph Sheets for the new job; he's already paid $37.500-a-year. About Face WILDWOOD — Faced with state lawsuits. City Council last week reversed its unanimous vote against local enforcement of the new state fire code by naming the resort fire department to tackle the task. That was merely a formality despite Council's earlier opposition. The state gave local fire companies the first choice of enforcing the code through annual or quarterly inspections of all buildings except single-family homes and duplexes. The city fire chief had already decided to do so when Council took the action it recently reversed. Preventing Crime NORTH CAPE MAY - Lower Manager James R. Stump credits township police for proposing a crime prevention program here in a target area between Ferry and Town Bank roads. That vicinity was selected, Stump said, because of it high larceny rate. The target area will be posted as a Town Watch zone with residents notified of other prevention proposals through a mass mailing. Police have scheduled a 7:30 p.m. meeting on the program Jan. 15 at Town Bank firehouse. Indicted For Assault VILLAS — Howard Stoddard, 43. of W. St. John's Avenue, has been indicted for sexually assaulting a Middle Township girl, 14. during a Aug. 10 church picnic at Belleplain State Forest. Dennis Township. Stoddard, who holds a minister's license from Genesis Church of Gospel Ministry. Calif., wasn't arrested. He's expected to turn himself in when he appears for an as yet unscheduled Superior Court arraignment. Fatal Fall NORTH CAPE MAY - Chris Meder. 30, of Town Bank Road fell 150 feet to his death in Atlantic City last Tuesday when a 20-foot metal construction ramp wrenched loose and knocked the carpenter from the 13th floor of Resorts International's new 44-story tower. He was wearing a safety line but it snapped. Besides his two babies, the oldest only 20 months, he is survived by his wife. Debbie. 22. a former respiratory technician at Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital.

am ■>, . , Dori* Ward Meerwald s Wonderland of Lights as Seen From Route 83, South Dennis.

had to buy a new transformer. But, he's confident the system will be in perfect working order by Christmas day. The stopped cars on Dias Creek Road are a testament to Stoke's decorating process, but every year he gets a more tangible

reward. "I do this for the neighbors around here, and their kids," he said. "Each year they get together and sign a card thanking me for what I do." And that, he said, makes it all worthwhile.