FROM PAGE ONE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A11
Display:
While some musical light
displays merely cause entire
strands of light to blink on
and off, every light on the
Johns Avenue display can
work individually, forming
pictures and designs.
To do that, Dircksen and
family members who helped
out had to install every bulb
in its place by hand, includ-
ing the hundreds that work
together to create a sort of
movie screen on the garage
door.
They then select songs,
purchase the rights to use
them, choreograph the
show for that song and go
through a detailed computer
programming process that
includes inputting the exact
number of bulbs on each
strand after Dirksen counts
them. The program needs
to know there are 150 lights
per strand on the giant metal
Christmas tree, for example,
to know that if the direc-
tions say to light up the top
half blue, it knows to light
75 bulbs.
Smith, Dircksen’s girl-
friend, said even though
it’s a lot of work, the pay-
off is the happiness it brings
to people who come by and
watch the show.
In past years they just let
it spread by word of mouth,
but this year they created
a “Miracle on Johns Ave-
nue” Facebook page, where
they promote not only the
light show but also encour-
age people to pick up some
movie theater popcorn or
takeout from a local restau-
rant to eat in the car while
watching.
“It does require a lot
of work, but it’s defi nitely
something people need this
year, and so we wanted to
do a little extra to get the
word out,” Smith said.
She said her parents
used to set up a Christmas
light display in Stanfi eld
that required an electrician
to install an extra electri-
cal box and ran up the elec-
tricity bill signifi cantly. The
new LED pixels that Smith
and Dircksen are using are
far more energy effi cient,
however, and Smith said
people are always surprised
to hear that their electricity
bill only went up by “maybe
$30” last December.
Dircksen said he appreci-
ated how patient the neigh-
bors have been with the
extra traffi c each night, and
he is encouraging every-
one to be as considerate as
possible, including turn-
ing off their headlights
and not parking in front of
driveways.
He has programmed a
version of the show with
non-Christmas songs he
plans to run around New
Year’s.
scheduled to go to Oregon
Health & Science Univer-
sity and Kaiser Permanente
Airport Way Center, both in
Portland.
St. Alphonsus Medi-
cal Center, in Ontario, will
receive the fi rst doses out-
side the Portland Metro area.
Most medical facilities
that registered to be vac-
cine provider sites are slated
to receive the Pfi zer vaccine
within two weeks. Oregon is
scheduled to receive addi-
tional doses on Dec. 22 and
Dec. 29.
Because the vaccine
requires two shots given
about 19 days apart, the ini-
tial doses will all be used as
the fi rst shot, with the fol-
low-up doses later in the
month being used primarily
for second shots.
A similar vaccine made
by Moderna could arrive
beginning Dec. 22. The
FDA released data on the
vaccine on Dec. 14 as part
of its review process. The
New York Times reported the
FDA intends to make a deci-
sion on emergency authori-
zation of the Moderna vac-
cine by Friday, Dec. 18,
and if approved the vac-
cine would be shipped out
immediately.
Hermiston Herald News
Editor Jade McDowell con-
tributed to this report.
Continued from Page A1
Avenue in Hermiston is one
of the biggest.
The home has featured
a musical light display for
three years now, but this
year is bigger and more
elaborate. Dircksen said he
has been working on it since
January, spending hours cre-
ating custom metal props
and programming the songs.
“I like being different,
and this is something you
can’t just go downtown and
buy,” he said.
The computer program-
ming is the hardest part, he
said, and songs take as much
as 12 hours to program.
This year he has been
using a free online platform
called xLights. Dircksen
said the xLights online com-
munity has been of great
help, as users all over the
world chat with each other
— troubleshooting, critiqu-
ing and sharing ideas. Since
Dircksen works the night
shift and sleeps during the
day, he often talks to peo-
ple from Australia, where
he has been surprised to dis-
cover elaborate Christmas
light shows are a popular
hobby.
One Australian rigged
up fl amethrowers to shoot
pillars of fl ames above
his roof, but accidentally
caught his roof on fi re at
one point. Dircksen said
the fl ames looked cool but
he didn’t think his home-
Vaccine:
Continued from Page A1
Oregon is still a distant goal.
“The vaccine is the light
at the end of the tunnel, but
we will be in this tunnel for
several months,” said Ore-
gon Health Authority Direc-
tor Pat Allen.
Allen urged Oregonians
to wear masks, physically
distance, avoid gatherings,
and staying home if sick in
the meantime.
The initial doses will
go to what health offi cials
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
A variety of Christmas lights adorn the home of Craig Dircksen and Lori Smith on West Johns Avenue in Hermiston on Thursday,
Dec. 10, 2020.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
A sign in the yard of Craig Dircksen and Lori Smith’s
Hermiston home advises drivers to tune to 88.1 FM for music
to accompany their Christmas light display
owner’s insurance would
go for that.
around the country have said
are the most important initial
targets.
“Starting with the front-
line health care workers who
have been our fi rst line of
defense against COVID-19
since the beginning of the
pandemic, and the long-term
care facility residents who
are among the most vulner-
able, each day,” Brown said.
For the facility residents
and staff, the pharmacy
companies CVS, Walgreens
and Consonus Healthcare
will offer on-site, no-cost
COVID-19 vaccines to more
than 680 long-term care
facilities in Oregon.
The next group to receive
vaccines will be “essential
workers,” followed by peo-
ple with underlying health
conditions, and those older
than 65 are next in line
as they are identifi ed by
OHA’s Vaccine Advisory
Committee.
Receiving the initial
doses on Dec. 14 were Leg-
acy Health Holladay Park,
Portland and Legacy Health
Meridian Park in Tuala-
tin, just south of Portland.
On Dec. 15, doses were
Latest
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PETS OF THE
W EEK
ET
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BABY & LILY
Google Pixel 5
Baby & Lily are sisters who tend to
squabble even though they do care for
each other. Baby is a marshmallow girl
who is brave, curious, and loves to go
for walks. Lily, however, is timid at first
and loves to be the star of the show.
She can tend to be quite possessive of
her things and has become interested
in her foster family’s rabbit. The both
love belly rubs.
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Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM
Robert Thonney, DVM • Jana Parks, DVM, cVMA
Small and Large Animal Care
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
541.567.1138
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
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Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application.
If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com
or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838