On the Monday before Thanksgiving, our devoted HOA Activities Committee volunteers gather to decorate the entrance of Herons Glen for the holiday season. These volunteers hang garlands and wreaths. They set up a sleigh and reindeer. There are displays with religious meaning, such as the creche and the Chanukah candles. And of course, there are lights! Beautiful, brilliant, sparkly lights!
These decorations help create a warm and welcoming holiday atmosphere for everyone who enters Herons Glen. And while many volunteers are involved in this effort, one particular resident elevates the spirit – Walt Westfall.
Walt is the guy who climbs the 30-foot ladder to wrap lights atop our lovely Herons Glen entryway palm trees. Yes, he claims the high ground.
Walt began working with the decorating volunteers about five or six years ago, when the previous resident who had done the climbing had a knee replacement and retired from the heights. Because Walt had worked as a lineman for 41 years in Central and Southern Illinois, he was no stranger to high places. But on the job, he had a bucket, not simply a ladder.
Now he climbs the ladder to drape the lights over and around the palms and is anchored by his team of buddies – Paul Chipman, Russell Long, Mike Popp, and Jim Troicke. These four hold his ladder steady and, at Walt’s direction, also parade around the palm trees, Three Stooges style, while holding the light strings so they don’t get tangled until the palms are totally covered with lights.
Walt has always enjoyed decorating for Christmas. In Illinois, his boss allowed him to bring his bucket truck home on the weekend, and he would decorate the 30- to 40-foot trees on his property along with the house and walkways. Not surprisingly, during the holiday season, the Westfall electric bill would double!
The lights were so high that everyone in the subdivision could see them. When Walt and Melanie informed their neighbors that they’d be wintering in Florida, many expressed dismay that there would be no more of Walt’s towering Christmas lights.
This year, when you’re enjoying the beautiful holiday display at our front entrance, be sure to think of Walt and be grateful for his “above and beyond” efforts. Happy Holidays!
