Pence wins Troy's first-ever Christmas light contest
<p>The home of Barbara Pence and Paul Olson, first place winners in Troy's inaugural Christmas Light Contest. (3,500+ lights)</p>
The unofficial champ of residential holiday decorating has been unseated. The First Annual Troy Christmas Light contest pitted some of the heavyweights of festive home adornment against one another for cash prize awards in the competition.
“I was actually surprised.” said Barbara Pence, the winner of the competition. “There were so many pretty, elaborate displays.”
The first annual competition was the brainchild of Jeanine Evans who got most businesses in Troy to donate to the awards.
“The entire community really went all out this year, it looks really nice,” Troy Mayor Darren Coldwell said. He said even people not participating in the competition seemed to put in some extra effort.
Pence said, “I always do a little bit, but this year was the most we’ve done - it’s just for fun.”
Local legend, Toddy Mossey, decorates her home for nearly every holiday. Her Christmas displays have often been featured in local papers, giving her the unofficial Troy title for years.
Mossey’s son Larry helped to embellish his mother’s home for the season. “If you have to climb a ladder, that’s not for me,” Mossey said. She offered her age, but said it didn’t need to be put in the paper. “I’ve been here a long, long time.”
Pence sticks to the basics when it comes to Christmas decorations, noting she doesn’t have a theme and doesn’t use any of the blow-up characters. “We just keep it simple, just the lights—I like it to be really colorful.”
The most challenging part of her home lighting was the scalloping pattern she used on a line hung above her garage. “I had to climb up on a ladder, and I’m scared of heights,” Pence said.
Each year Pence adds more lights to her arrangement. She said there’s one more section of her home that needs to be lit up. So after Christmas Pence plans to hit the post-holiday sales and pick up more radiance for her residence.
Cash prizes were awarded for first, second and third place winners. The amounts awarded were $150, $75 and $50. Businesses and individuals from Troy contributed to the winnings and were then able to judge the competition.
Judging the 13 entries took place from Dec. 14-17. The contest was organized by Bradley Evans Consulting and plans are underway for next years competition.