One constant for me about living in northwest Indiana is at least one stop to Peteyville at Christmastime. While I have no children of my own, this has been a staple in the Hessville area of Hammond for as long as I can remember. I remember when it was just the one house with the handmade animated decorations; a Ferris wheel, a teeter totter, a carousel, and a crane (they are located on Crane Place after all) that lifted a Christmas "card" from the Basala family. With their wonderful neighbors, it has grown to cover the yards of several houses on either side of them. The display now covers six of them in total, I believe. A cute white picket fence surrounds the decorations, and "DANGER High Voltage" signs can be seen here and there. A couple of "photo opportunities" have also been added. While Christmas music is played throughout the display, countless lighted decorations and inflatables take over the yards (including a 26 foot reindeer!) from Thanksgiving to New Years Eve. The display is so large now, that it costs over $100 a week to run, even only running about 5 hours a night (There is a donation box by the front door of Peteyville if you'd like to help out).
The Facebook page that has been created for Peteyville has almost 9000 followers now. Fans anxiously check updates on the page. We watch Pete's posts of his progress and look for the sign with a countdown to opening night. On any given evening, cars line the street and people of all ages can been seen getting out to enjoy the display. The only times that Peteyville is not up and running would be due to the weather, or an illness or injury to Pete, which has happened. Although I've only recalled one year since it's beginning, and it was somewhat recently, that there was no display. I believe that year, Pete was having hip issues and could not do the standing and climbing that was necessary to build. And I do believe he's been doing this for at least 30 years! While I know it can't last forever, I, along with many others, will enjoy Peteyville as long as it's going...
Thank you for the many years of Christmas joy Pete, here's hoping to several more...
At the bottom of this blog is a video and a link to the Facebook page... Enjoy the photos...
For updates & info on Peteyville, you can find their Facebook page by clicking HERE.
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