Speading the word:
We have been lucky enough to appear in various types of media a few times.
It was cool to see a project we worked on worthy of having the local media cover our story.
December 2009
‘City of Lights' winners named
Published in the Argus Courier and Petaluma 360.com
Entries in the Home Decorating Contest totaled 15. First-, second- and third-place winners were judged in the following categories: Best Use of Declared Theme, Uniqueness and Overall Impression. Many contestants incorporated the citywide “Stuff Your Stockings with Local Cheer” theme into their decorations, while others created their own themes. In addition to the first-, second- and third-place winners, the “Spirit of Christmas” award is given to the home awarded the most points by the judges for capturing the spirit of family and community.
The first-place winner in the Home Decorating Contest is Chad Dunbar, whose family's home at 1623 Cabernet Court includes a light show and music that visitors can listen to on FM radio.
Awesome Lights
Inside Sonoma Blog
Chad Dunbar, we salute you.
Not only did we geek out at your Halloween light display, but your Christmas extravaganza of light and sound makes it look like the entire Trans-Siberian Orchestra is jamming on your front lawn.
Well-played.
Rather than reinvent an itinerary for Holiday lights, we’re just going to say – check out Chad Dunbar’s house, as well as the other awesome entries that Petaluma has for their holiday lights tour.
(Video) Chad Dunbar, wizard of light
Link to Video
Petaluma's 19 year-old Chad Dunbar uses his sound and lighting expertise to give the holiday season a new twist.
50,000 points of light: Petaluma teen wows neighborhood with holiday light show
Front page article and posted on PressDemocrat.com and Petaluma360.com
PETALUMA — From his control tower directly above the garage, Chad Dunbar assumes the director’s chair on one of Petaluma’s hottest holiday shows.
His picture window is perfectly positioned to give the teen-age DJ a commanding view of both his production and the steady caravan of cars that clog Cabernet Court from dusk to 10 o’clock every night for a glimpse of his seven-minute, animated sound-and-light show that leaves many breathless for an encore.
For most Americans, outdoor Christmas lights originally meant a simple string of multicolored lights under the eaves. But over the years the bar has increasingly been raised, with the most committed turning it into a zany sweepstakes to transform entire cul-de-sacs into yuletide attractions.
The practice was famously spoofed 20 years ago in National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation,” in which a hapless Clark Griswold sends the local nuclear power plant onto auxiliary power.
Now, 19-year Dunbar, a computer geek and Santa Rosa Junior College student who supports his expensive hobby doing tech support for a local company, has taken the stakes to a whole new level, with 50,000 lights. Proud Dads with their staple guns and strings of static lights have reason to be afraid — very, very afraid.
Dunbar has been working since February to mount his technical tour de force. It’s a kind of show one might expect to see in Vegas or an amusement park, with lights carefully choreographed to blink, twinkle and fade in and out in various schemes of red, blue, green and white, all in synch with a custom-mixed soundtrack of Christmas tunes.
Dunbar gamely works with the venue available to him at the moment — his parent’s two-story tract house in east Petaluma.
It’s a show free of giant blow-up snowmen. No animated Santas on the roof, lighted reindeer or painted cut-outs of elves. Dunbar has created magic with music and lights alone.
“You have to have a creative mind,” said Dunbar, who cooked up his first sound-and-light extravaganza for Halloween 2008 with his pal Austin Allen as part of Allen’s senior project. They used the Dunbar house because it was larger.
It proved so popular, however, that the pair, working as AClights.com, followed it up with a Christmas show and another Halloween production two months ago.
But last year’s 16,000 Christmas lights was a blink compared to this year’s 50,000-bulb spectacle. That is double the 25,000 boasted by the fictional Griswold. School demands forced Allen to withdraw, but Dunbar’s friends Johnny Repp, Elizabeth Butcher, Courtney Hopkins and Joe Bloom pitched in to ensure the show went on. It’s one of 15 homes competing for votes on the Petaluma Visitor Center’s City of Lights Driving Tour.
“It is complicated,” Dunbar said, his cell ringing to the original “Mario Brothers’” Nintendo theme, an anthem to young guys who came of age after the millennium. “It’s like choreographing people dancing, but they’re not people. They’re lights. You’ve got to figure out what their role is and what part they play.”
The show requires three-quarters of a mile of custom-made cable and a professional electrical upgrading of the home — 20 new circuits — to permit all that drain without shorting out the house.
And there’s a real-time Webcam so people can check the court’s traffic conditions and a real radio transmitter in Dunbar’s bedroom window that allows viewers to enjoy the show from the comfort of their heated cars while tuning in to 96.3 FM — a legal signal that doesn’t extend much beyond the court.
“We didn’t put any limits on his freedom and talent,” Wayne Dunbar said of his techno-prodigy son, who has been an event DJ since age 10. “The only thing we objected to last year was the number of cords running through the house.”
That’s been taken care of. But be careful if you enter the garage. The floor is completely covered in coiling cords connecting up to five control boards with a combined 80 channels that communicate with the computer in Dunbar’s bedroom. A local electrician and home light enthusiast who liked what Dunbar is doing volunteered to help rig up the wiring safely and separate from the house power so there won’t be repeat of last year, when the inside lights faintly flickered in synch to the outside show.
Dunbar uses Light-O-Rama, a computerized lighting system that allows homeowners to put on professional home light shows. It’s still just a small niche of the home lighting market, although it has a growing following among other techno-geeks who are competing now not just for drive-bys but video views on YouTube.
It takes both computer and electrical savvy as well as a degree of creativity to program so many strings of lights in four different colors to blink, fade, shimmer and twinkle, racing from the eaves to a pair of 13-foot “Mega Trees” Dunbar and friends built out of PVC wire, around two grand arches and over a series of smaller Christmas trees fashioned from tomato cages.
“I raided Lowe’s,” Dunbar said. “I called them back in September and said, ‘OK. I want to buy 397 boxes of lights. Can you do this for me?’”
He laboriously choreographed the music, a mix put together by a professional beat mixer who is a friend of his uncle. The music is bits of the hit “Music Box Dancer,” the symphonic metal-sound of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and, at the request of dad Wayne and mom Lisa, a little Mannheim Steamroller.
The wizard of 1623 Cabernet Court has invested more than $2,500 of his own savings just for lights and equipment; his former co-producer Allen put in a fairly equal amount.
After supporters and fans began leaving donations, the Dunbars relented and put out a donation box to help offset the PG&E cost, which Dunbar estimates to be about $400 extra for December.
Last Christmas, with 16,000 lights, it was about $120. Dunbar said the cost is not as high as conventional lights because his lights are blinking and not on all at once. And the show, which loops continuously through the evening, does have a two-minute break between runs. This year, Dunbar rigged up a set of buttons so children during intermission can control the lights themselves.
Knowing that any trouble or complaints might shut him down, Dunbar has taken care to be conscientious toward his neighbors, sometimes directing traffic away from driveways and being on the alert for other hazards, such as the time someone’s car broke down in the middle of the street. He was ready with jumper cables to keep the line moving.
“Chad is very considerate,” said Jim Eaton, whose house is directly across the street. “When my sister comes up (to visit) and sleeps in the front, he makes sure it’s down by 10 o’clock. It’s pretty awesome. And all the neighborhood kids enjoy it.”
Police Lt. Tim Lyons said nearly a week into the December show there have been no complaints to police.
Dunbar said it’s the joy of giving seven minutes of pleasure to thousands of strangers that motivates him.
“It’s so much fun seeing people being happy through these rough times,” he said while surveying his own show from the street. “We’re going through a recession. People are not in the best mood maybe. But this is an escape for them. That’s the coolest feeling.”
You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at 521-5204 or [email protected].
LightsOfTheValley.com Review:
They rated us a must see house in Petaluma. They stated, "We checked out the Cabernet Ct house and it is truly exceptional. They now have 50,000 lights instead of last year's 16,000 lights and they have the synchronized light show. They broadcast on FM 96.3."
KZST Radio Interview #2:
Again, another interview with KZST and this time it was with both Brent and Debbie. Together they make an interesting bunch but I thank them for help promoting the show. Wasn't my best interview but made me realize studio interviews are much different than phone ones. The player above is the posted MP3 of our interview that took place on the 4th of December.
Marin Independent Journal
Paper Only. No website link
Driving Tour Map printed in every single IJ with our house information
October 2009
Saturday Night Frights: Petaluma House Boasts 30,000 lights, music and joke telling pumpkins (Front Page Article)
Paper Only. No website link
…One gauge of Halloween’s popularity is evident on a Petaluma cul-de-sac where a house has been transformed into a giant synchronized music and light show, complete with joke-telling pumpkins.
Last Year, said Chad Dunbar, the 19-year-old co-creator of the show, it consisted of 8,000 lights. This year, the house is dressed in 30,000 incandescent light bulbs run though 20 20amp circuits and controlled by 5 controller boxes that allow 80 separate sections of the house to be individually orchestrated.
All this comes just two years after Dunbar’s lifelong best friend and show co-creator, Austin Allen, 19, first decorated his home with a music and light show for his Casa Grande High School senior project.
The 2008 show, which last year was moved to Dunbar’s Cabernet Court house because Allen’s wasn’t big enough, “was a hit and we’re doing it this year because everyone loved it,” said Dunbar.
The 5 1/2 minute show, which took about a year’s worth of planning and cost an estimated $4,000, has been running nightly for three weeks. If neighbors don’t object, he said, tonight and Sunday’s shows will run from about 5:30 to 11pm.
“November 1st is the last night because we have to set up for the Christmas light show after that,” Dunbar said. “Christmas is more serious with 50,000 to 60,000 lights.”
(Video) Extreme Halloween display of 30,000 singing lights
Link to Video
Petaluma resident's Chad Dunbar and Austin Allen created Halloween Musical Fright 2009 on Cabernet Court.
KZST Radio Interview:
The interview with KZST went great! We showed Debbie the video of the show prior to the interview and she got a kick out of it. The studio was fun to check out and to be on the radio was awesome! The player above is the posted MP3 of our interview. They made the word of the day "Lights" for the listeners to recieve points on their site.
Spooky Light Show: The Halloween Musical Light show returns to Cabernet Court
Published: Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 10:43 a.m.
http://www.petaluma360.com/article/20091023/COMMUNITY61/910239974/1374/ COMMUNITY0301?Title=Spooky-light-show
Christmas isn’t the only time of year when locals break out the Christmas lights and go crazy decorating. Halloween is becoming another big decorating holiday.
Petaluman friends Chad Dunbar and Austin Allen are putting the finishing touches on their annual Halloween music and light show at 1623 Cabernet Court.
This year’s show is set to be bigger than previous years, with an estimated 20,000 lights programed to do a light show to music and addition spooky effect. Folks driving by the home can listen to and watch the show in their cars by tuning in to 96.3 FM.
“We upgraded our light-o-rama program to support 80 computerized channels, compared to 16 last year,” said Dunbar. “We hired a deejay to fully produce a custom mix for the Halloween and upcoming Christmas show.”
With 20,000 lights, all programmed to blink and twinkle to a spooky soundtrack, the home at Cabernet Court will come to life every night through Halloween. Show times are from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 5 to 11 p.m. on Oct. 31.
Dunbar and Allen were inspired to decorate on such a grand scale in an effort to attrack more trick-or-treaters to the neighborhood.
“Every year, our court has been getting less and less trick-or-treaters,” said Dunbar. “I kept telling Austin in the beginning that if we do this, we need to come up with something other than the D Street thing. The challenge for us was to do something different This is entertainment — a show. It’s something you can come see any night between now and Halloween.”
December 2008
City of Lights Decorating Contest winners announced
Published: Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 10:43 a.m.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081211/COMMUNITY/812110283
Only part of the orginal article is listed below...
This year, due to an early print deadline, many of the regular home-decorating entrants did not get applications in on time for the map. Some homes, like the one at 1623 Cabernet Court, are decorated for the holidays, even though they didn’t make it on the map — so, look for them, too.
October 2008
Drive-by Spooking
Published: Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 4:10 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, October 31, 2008 at 5:32 p.m.
By JOHN BECK, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081030/
ENTERTAINMENT/810300317
Only part of the orginal article is listed below...
Petaluma residents Chad Dunbar and Austin Allen are dialing in Halloween in their own neighborhood, blanketing their Cabernet Court house in 7,000 lights and synching it all to the tune of Mannheim Steamroller songs.
Here's where you come in: You drive by their house, while tuning in to 96.3 FM and soak up the blinding spectacle without ever leaving your car. It's free, but if you want pitch in for the PG&E bill, Chad and Austin probably won't mind. Musical light show 7 to 10 p.m. tonight and 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday. 1623 Cabernet Court, Petaluma.
Halloween Musical Fright
Published: Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 4:40 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 4:40 a.m.
By YOVANNA BIEBERICH, ARGUS-COURIER STAFF
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081025/LIFESTYLE/810250309
Only part of the orginal article is listed below...
Musical light show presented by Chad Dunbar and Austin Allen. 7-10 p.m. through Thursday; 6:30-10 p.m. Friday. Free. Tune car radio to 96.3 FM. 1623 Cabernet Court, Petaluma
A bright Halloween idea
Published: Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 3:00 a.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 3:58 p.m.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20081023/COMMUNITY/810230211
Only part of the orginal article is listed below...
With 8,000 lights, all programmed to blink and twinkle to a spooky soundtrack, the home at 1623 Cabernet Court will come to life from 7 to 10 p.m. every night through Oct. 31.
“Around Sept. 2, I was out in front of my house doing yard work and thinking about Halloween coming up,” said Dunbar, a first-year college student along with Allen. “Every year, I’m in charge of the house decorating and I was trying to think about what to do. That’s when Austin called me. We were talking about it and it was like a light bulb turned on and we said, ‘Let’s do it!’ We both knew what we were talking about.”
Allen is no veteran to the concept of musical light shows. His senior project in high school involved rigging his own house with lights synchronized to Christmas music.
“I had seen a few light shows on YouTube and after looking around the Internet for a few hours, I found the company that makes the hardware and software that allows us to do this,” said Allen. “It’s not the easiest thing to do, but it is a product for consumers.”
The device, which connects to a computer, allows them to control how much power goes to the various channels for the lights, meaning they control dimming, strobe, twinkling and other light effects.
“You can do pretty much whatever you want,” said Dunbar. “We took advantage of that by putting the lights to music.”
After listening to a number of songs, Dunbar and Allen chose “Hall of the Mountain King” and “Night on Bald Mountain” by Mannheim Steamroller for the music. They’ve also added different Halloween sound effects to transition from song to song.
The next task Dunbar and Allen had was learning how to broadcast the music.
“We had to figure out how to do that one,” said Allen. “It’s totally separate from the light show. You know how they make FM transmitters for iPods for the car? What we have is a bigger version of that. It transmits about 100 yards and any stereo can tune into it at 96.3 FM. You should start hearing it as soon as you pull into the court.”
Between the planning and production, the musical light show has taken two months to put together and 30 to 40 hours of stringing up 8,000 lights.
“In addition to that, it took a lot of programming and time going back and forth checking what we did,” said Dunbar. “The two songs together, merged into one song, lasts around six minutes. Then there are the parts in between the songs, which last about four minutes.”
“Every minute of the show took three minutes to program,” added Allen.
While musical light shows on homes are not a new phenomenon, Dunbar and Allen’s Halloween production is a first in Petaluma — not counting Allen’s Christmas production.
“Austin’s house was really the first, but this is our first major production that we’re also advertising,” said Dunbar. “Our parents told us they were buying the normal amount of candy they get every year, but told us we had to go to Costco to buy more. We also warned all the neighbors that they need extra candy this year because we may have an extra load of kids.”
Dunbar said that the amount of trick-or-treaters in their neighborhood has declined over the years, so the challenge this year is to see if their show will change that.
Read more...