Jennifer Richardson refused to let COVID-19 spoil Halloween. Her Halloween House Decorating Contest delighted kids and adults alike, and raised funds for the Innisfil Food Bank and Innisfil C4Kids (Christmas for Kids) year round.
So it wasn’t likely that Richardson would let a virus cancel Christmas.
Inspired by the success of her Halloween competition, she launched a Christmas Decorating Contest, inviting residents to decorate early, and often.
And the community responded. There were 94 entries in the Halloween contest; Christmas inspired 138 homeowners to sign up for Light It Up Innisfil, pay the $10 entry fee, and celebrate the spirit of Christmas.
The format was the same: Ward Councillors judged the entries in their own wards; other judges included Mayor Lynn Dollin, local MPP Andrea Khanjin, MP John Brassard, the Friends of the Innisfil Public Library, and the general public. Residents could download a map, to tour the entries and vote for their favourites.
Voting continued until 9 p.m. on Dec. 18, when the votes were tallied. Winners were:
Ward 1 – 2108 Innisfil Beach Road, chosen by Coun. Kevin Eisses.
Ward 2 – 1064 Quarry Road, chosen by Coun. Bill Van Berkel.
Luigi and Grace Grossi also won the Halloween competition in their ward; this time, instead of a yard filled with witches and ghouls, there were candy canes, inflatables, and Santa Claus, waving from the porch, as Christmas music played and lights flashed.
“It’s very unique,” said Van Berkel, who made the rounds over three nights, to narrow the choice to three homes. “In the long run, this was the best… It really stood out.”
“We do this every year,” said Grace. The Grossis, dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus, handed out candy canes to neighbourhood children.
Ward 3 – 2011 Prince Court, the Mayville home, chosen by Coun. Donna Orsatti.
Ward 4 – 2036 Jack Crescent. Coun. Alex Waters was impressed by how completely Lise and Luc Arbour decorated their home, lighting up every window, wall, roof line, fence post, tree and shrub.
There was no need to worry about the electrical bill, though. “I changed from incandescent to LED this year,” said Luc.
Ward 5 – 808 Line 9, chosen by Ward Coun. Ken Fowler.
Ward 6 – 653 Mapleview Drive. Scott and Laura Simpson had a special inspiration when they decorated their home this year. “We did it in honour of our dog, Coby,” said Laura. “We lost him a month ago.”
Ward Coun. Carolyn Payne admitted it was a challenge to come up with the winner in her ward. “I was really torn last night,” she said. Her other choice was a home in Sandycove Acres, the top pick of MP John Brassard..
Ward 7 – 4 Wellington St., the home of Brenda and Tom Hunse in Cookstown. Organizer Jennifer Richardson filled for Coun. Rob Nicol, who was unable to attend, and presented the prizes.
Mayor’s Choice – 1258 Vincent St., the home of Patti Bunston. The Bunstons made the news recently when the Baby Jesus and manger were stolen from their front lawn Nativity scene – and little neighbour Sofia gave them her own favourite doll and “glow in the dark” blanket, to fill the gap.
“What I loved is that you took something negative, and turned it into something positive,” said Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin, wishing the Bunstons a “blessed Christmas.”
Ward Coun. Donna Orsatti was also there, to offer congratulations, and a promise to personally pay for a replacement “Baby Jesus” for the annual display.
MPP Andrea Khanjin’s Choice – 1025 Linden St. Linden holds its own decorating contest every year, which made the choice a difficult one. “Everyone’s so intense,” said Khanjin, noting that the level of competition among homes was fierce.
Khanjin opted for the "magical" Candyland fantasy put together by Lori Martin and Jenna Porter.
“Yeah, we worked on it for a while,” said Porter, noting that her favourite was the ‘Wish Tree’ that invites passers-by to take a free candy cane. “That’s been very popular!”
MP John Brassard’s Choice – 41 Main St. North, the home of Joe and Sue Libralesso in Sandycove Acres.
“It’s been really terrific this year,” Brassard said of the decorations throughout the town. He toured the displays with wife Liane.
“What really struck us was the appreciation for frontline workers… For us this was an easy choice,” said Brassard, a firefighter himself for over 30 years. “We saw a lot of houses, and this one really stood out.”
Friends of the Innisfil Public Library Choice – 676 Line 10, the home of Matthew and Melissa Porter.
Melissa credited Matt with putting up the Christmas decorations. “It’s his favourite holiday,” she said, noting that Matthew’s birthday falls on Dec. 19. “Mine is Halloween. My birthday is Oct. 29.”
The Porters, who moved to Innisfil a year and a half ago, for years helped a friend in Brampton create a Halloween Haunted House as a fundraiser for the Hospital for Sick Children.Now, they said, they're ready to start their own tradition in Innisfil.
Most Creative – 706 Reid St. Sarah Desroche and 3-year-old Lincoln were presented with prizes by Coun. Alex Waters and Santa Claus.
Best Lights – 2222 Sideroad 25. The Micheau family has been astounding neighbours for years with their annual Christmas displays. This year, they received recognition from the Light It Up Innisfil contest, Coun. Alex Waters - and Santa.
Best Inflatables – 2142 Galloway St.
Fan Fave – the phenomenal light show, set to music, that has been stopping traffic at 2834 Shering Crescent in Stroud.
The best part for Richardson was the reaction from both participants and viewers, and the comments from everyone who enjoyed seeing the Town illuminated for Christmas.
“It’s unbelievable the job you have done,” Deputy Mayor Dan Davidson emailed Richardson. “I am humbled by your love of our town… Thanks, from my heart!”
Mayor Dollin presented Richardson with two gifts, in appreciation – a Poinsettia, from the Town of Innisfil, and a tongue-in-cheek gift from InnPower, as a thank-you for boosting electricity usage in Innisfil.
“I had to think about something other than COVID,” said Richardson, as she delivered prizes to the winners. “COVID or not, I had a lot of fun.”
Donors, from local crafters to businesses, provided prizes for every winner, gifts for every entry, and prizes for a random draw. The ‘Light It Up Innisfil’ awards themselves were created by the Innisfil ideaLAB & Library's Hack Lab.
And the contest, through entry fees and donations, raised $2,625 for charity.
For more details, click here.
And yes, Richardson said, there will be a Light It Up Innisfil contest in 2021 - COVID or no COVID.