Sam and Patricia Leightley won the Kittanning Paper Favorite Decorated House contest. David Croyle presents Sam with a $25 gift card from American Express.
A Manor Township home won the grand prize in the Kittanning Paper best decorated property contest.
Sam and Patricia Leightley said they have been decorating their house ever since they were married 46 years ago. They moved into the 322 Main Street home in 1977 and have decorated every year since.
“The people enjoy it and I love to do it for the people,” Patricia said. “They are always giving comments, and we just like to do it.”
Sam said Patricia decorates the inside of the house as extravagant as they decorate the outside.
“Staircase, fireplace, TV, kitchen, dining room all over the buffet, china cabinet… I have it everywhere,” Pat said. But she has one particular decoration that is her favorite outside. “I think the manger scene. I like to have that as my center focus. That’s the main thing about Christmas.”
Occasionally the couple admits to causing a traffic jam as motorists slow down to take a peek at the decorations.
A total of 612 votes were received on four different properties that were submitted to the Kittanning Paper.
“A few people even tried pulling off but there is no room since they retopped the road. There is no berm now. So they will go slow, and sometimes I hear a squeak from someone’s brakes. Occasionally someone will pull off next door so they can come over to look at all the pieces and take pictures.”
“And we don’t even have it all out,” Sam said. He even had to build a special storage area when the decorations outgrew his home attic.
Patricia said they have only had one year that the decorations were vandalized.
“We had an old antique wooden nativity set. My aunt gave it to us and it was 25 years old. Someone spray-painted red paint all over it and swear words on the back of the stable building. It ruined it. I was so upset.”
The Leightleys decorate for Thanksgiving, then the following week change all the decorations for Christmas. They also have decorations for Valentine’s Day.
“He puts hearts on the fences and over the doors. He made the shape, then he drilled holes in the shape of the heart, and put lights on it. We put red garland on it.
How long will they continue to decorate?
“As long as we are able. Hopefully maybe 20 more years,” Patricia said with a chuckle.
The couple received a $25 American Express gift card from the Kittanning Paper as their prize.
This house is decorated every year along Main Street (Route 66) in Ford City. You have a hard time pulling off the highway of this busy road, but you will definitely have to slow down and go by several times to experience all this display has to offer.