Equipment dealer decks the halls – and tractors – for charity

The light show even uses the tractor’s headlights as part of the performance. Photo: Messick Farm EquipmentThe light show even uses the tractor’s headlights as part of the performance.
Photo: Messick Farm Equipment

Equipment dealer Messick Farm Equipment in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, will be once again putting on a Christmas lights show for local charities starting today.

This is the fourth year that Messick has transformed its business into a winter wonderland. It has been decorating for Christmas for about 20 years, but over time things became more and more elaborate until the company decided to create an entire synchronized light show.

“The very first year we got into it, we were really surprised by the amount of support that we got from our community,” said Neil Messick, IT and marketing manager for the company. “The line of cars coming up the driveway was a lot more than we anticipated and the donations to the charitable organizations that we support were a lot greater than we ever thought possible.”

Messick’s gives 100 percent of its proceeds that are collected at the end of the show to Paxon Street Ministries, Water Street Rescue Mission, Mennonite Disaster Service and Elizabethtown Community Cupboard.

Over the past three years, the light show has raised more than $78,000 for local families in need.

This year’s show is intended to blow viewers away with new features like a snow blowing machine and two flame throwers. Over 70,000 Christmas lights are used to cover the building, light poles and dozens of Kubota tractors.

Visitors can view the show from 6-9:30 p.m. today through Dec. 30. The music is broadcast through an FM radio station so the show can be viewed from the warmth of guests’ vehicles.

Here’s a sneak preview of one of the songs this year:

Here’s a video on how the dealership creates its light show:

The Attachments Idea Book
Landscapers use a variety of attachments for doing everything from snow removal to jobsite cleanup, and regardless of how often they are used, every landscaper has a favorite attachment.
Download
Attachments Idea Book Cover