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Wednesday, December 31, 2014
The Agassiz Y Harrison
NEW
Y E A R ’S
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REVIEW The Observer takes a look back at 2014.
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OPINION
Lorene Keitch / OBSERVER
Joe Schulz still gets excited as people stop by his Rosedale home to look at his 23,000-light Christmas display.
2015: the year of
Christmas wonderland in Rosedale
climate adaptation.
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INSIDE Year in review. . . . . . . . 2 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 B.C. Views . . . . . . . . . . 4 Regional Roundup . . . . 9 Community Corner . . . . 9 ClassiÄeds . . . . . . . . . 12
Owner loves to share his joy of Christmas with the thousands who come to admire his displays By Lorene Keitch THE OBSERVER
A display 20 years in the making. 23,0000 lights. Five weeks of set-up. This is the must-see house of the Christmas season. From the spinning miniature table saw to the life-size sleigh, this house has it all. A train set that is every little boy’s dream come true. Seven tracks, multiple trains with cargo, passenger cars, even logs, moving around in an intricate set-up. There are those big red plastic candles you used to see everywhere but have
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slowly broken and been replaced by most people. Sparkly, light-up snowmen, a giant tree made of lights and a beautiful manger scene with a wall of Christmas light-filled trees fill out the yard. Joe Schulz takes care of each one of his decorations, especially the oldie but goodies that you just can’t find anywhere. He has dolls that look like they come out of a museum beside moving angels and inflatable snowmen. It’s a cornucopia of Christmas. Joe’s wife Lorraine puts it simply:
“He’s really into Christmas.” No kidding. The humble beginnings for this Christmas wonderland began 20 years ago with the building a church. His grandson was two years old at the time and Joe remembers the little guy could clamber inside the chapel. Now that grandson is grown up and there are four more buildings sharing the driveway. Each building has music corresponding to the action inside. There’s the snoring Santa with Mrs. Clause busy downstairs. There’s Santa’s workshop
where he paints a toy to the chapel where the congregation listens to a choir. There's the dancing Santa, where every four minutes, the jolly old elf shakes his hips to a Christmas tune. “I plan all year," Joe says. "I can hardly wait for it to start up.” Joe has been doing this for a long time. But he still gets excited when he sees children watching with wonder. They peer in the windows, calling to their parents to come see. Continued on 9
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