Judges needed for Ruhenstroth's Christmas lighting contest

Have you noticed the Christmas lights throughout the neighborhood? It's so magical to ride through the streets and see the themed decorations. Brings out the child in all of us, don't you think?

Ruhenstroth's fifth Christmas lighting contest is upon us and we will need a few children to be the judges. It takes a couple of nights to completely go through the neighborhood due to our size so parents, grandparents or friends will need to be willing to chauffeur the judges. If you'd like to be a judge, contact me by e-mail at ruhenstrothramblings@yahoo.com. I'll need to have your decision no later than Monday, Dec. 13 to allow time to notify the winners and get pictures for the Dec. 17 column.

Jim and Christine Beard at 1994 Mule Lane won last year so won't be eligible to win this year but be sure to ride by and check out their spectacular display. They have probably added a few items for this year. 

Other homes to put on your list to check out are 997 Farrier Court with their display set to music, 700 and 701 Pinto Lane, the corner of Arabian Lane and Pinto Lane, 189 Arabian Lane, 706 Mustang Lane, 1874 Colt Lane, 834 Cayuse Lane, 1988 Palomino Lane and 1977 Lacey Court. The train and snowman at 629 Stagecoach has always been a favorite of the children, both young and old.

Another special display that is not in our neighborhood is located off Stephanie Way on Chaparral Court. The Kremer family has turned their home and yard into a magical wonderland of dancing lights that are synchronized to music. Be sure to allow about 20 minutes to view the entire show and remember to tune your car radio to 100.5 FM to hear the music and announcements. Also be considerate of the neighbors by not parking in front of their driveways and don't forget to turn off your headlights as you enter the court. The show runs till 9 p.m. during the week, till 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and till 11 p.m. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

They are once again collecting nonperishable food items for the Carson Valley Community Food Closet. Last year they collected 470 pounds of food for the food closet. Let's help them increase the amount this year. There will be containers at the curb to collect the food items.

Another focus is for the Backpack Buddies program for elementary children in our area that have been identified by school counselors as being affected by the economy. These children are given bags of food and fruit for the weekend. It is a tremendous help to those families struggling through a difficult time. Last year the Kremers collected $2,698.30 for Rebecca Martin. Let's show our support for the children of Douglas County and help them surpass that amount for this year. There is a secure drop box for monetary donations at the curbside so the program can purchase items each week instead of having to find a place to store the food and supplies. 

Have a ramblin' good week.

Reach Gail Davis at RuhenstrothRamblings@yahoo.com