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Emerald Coast News
Energy-Saving L.E.D. Lights Make Holiday Program Shine (November 28, 2007)DESTIN, Fla. (November 28, 2007) – This holiday season, tens of thousands of people will be entertained and inspired by the Holiday Lights in Concert playing each night at Silver Sands Factory Stores. Chances are, most won’t consider the behind the scenes labor and electrical power needed to bring a light and music show of this magnitude to the public. In this case, the behind-the-scenes effort may actually override the electrical power output due to the use of energy-efficient L.E.D lights. Using only one-tenth of the electricity of regular lights, L.E.D., which stands for light-emitting diode, is an environmentally-friendly way to present a large and intricate light production. Currently, the U.S. Department of Energy is studying larger practical applications for this exciting technology, according to their website. The main attraction for Holiday Lights in Concert is the 42-foot Christmas tree trimmed with 61,000 red, white and green L.E.D. lights and nearly 3,000 ornaments. The star-topped tree is flanked by 10 crepe myrtles decorated with 8,500 L.E.D. lights for a total of approximately 70,000 brilliant lights on display. The colorful lights are programmed to flash in a coordinated effort as the music plays and changes during each recorded song. The big job of coordinating the holiday installation went to the team at The Lighting & Landscape Co., located out of Niceville. Company president Bob Craig oversaw a crew of a dozen, including his son Marcus Craig, who serves as vice president of operations and point person for the intricate project. “L.E.D. light technology came on the scene about 10 years ago but only recently became a basis for holiday light shows,” says the junior Craig. “The improvement of the color clarity and variation has made it ideal for big light presentations such as the one at Silver Sands.” Stringing the lights and running the wires and cord took the large crew nearly two weeks and utilized about 1,000 feet of extension cords. An 80-foot boom lift was used on the tallest portions of the trees. Marcus often worked on the project from a base space located under the massive tree where sound and electrical equipment is located. It took about a day to program and synchronize the lights to the musical selections, which are recorded and run for about 25 minutes before repeating. The lights symbolize the musical instruments in a visually compelling way. The music is traditional with both modern and traditional arrangements. They include everything from Christmas classics sung by Vanessa Williams to more modern arrangements by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and even a little Burl Ives added for the perfect Christmas touch. Holiday Lights in Concert takes place at the Christmas tree located in the Courtyard at Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH. This fun and festive attraction will run at Silver Sands Factory Stores throughout the holiday season, each night from 5 pm – 9 pm. For more information visit www.silversandsoutlet.com or call 850-654-9771. Silver Sands Factory Stores, a Howard Group Development, currently features more than 100 designer outlet stores with 465,000 square feet of retail space, and ultimately 700,000 planned. Designer merchandise is available at up to 75 percent off retail price. It is the nation’s largest designer outlet center, drawing millions of shoppers annually. Silver Sands is located on Emerald Coast Parkway, one mile west of Sandestin® Golf and Beach Resort. Center hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ###
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