Setting up a musical Christmas light display is time-consuming, but occasionally a moment arises to remind Robert Densic why he started his show seven years ago.

“This guy showed up last year, and he had been showing up with his wife for years since we started this,” Densic said. “He was in his mid-80s and his wife had just passed away a week before the lights came on. He said, ‘She was so looking forward to coming and seeing what you were doing this year. I just had to bring her.’ He had her in her urn. That’s when you know all the time, effort and standing out in the freezing rain, snow and cold is worth it.”

Densic upgraded this year’s display, called “The Ageless Childs’ Christmas,” from 55,000 to 66,000 lights connected with nearly three miles of extension cord. At full tilt, the display draws 135 amps of power.

Robert Densic

“When everything goes bright outside, everything goes dim inside,” Densic said. “We have a 200-amp service. If we’re pulling 135 amps out here, it doesn’t leave us much inside. If we’re cooking dinner, our lights will dim. I don’t have much of a problem.”

The neighbors have also come to expect the display.

“They enjoy it as well,” Densic said. “One neighbor next door and another across the street insisted we start using their yard. They are all very supportive and come out to help.”

The lights are managed with 23 control boxes, each of which controls 16 different elements in the show. Everything is connected with computer wiring and runs off a computer in the house. With such a complex system, the process of setting up the show starts long before the holiday season.

“The whole family is involved in the setup,” Densic said. “My wife and I start in early October. I program year-round. The setup and programming are separate aspects. My family, her family and friends come out and help. My mother, niece and nephew were here constantly helping every weekend for a month. We need that. Our neighbors help us set up. It took us just shy of seven weeks to set this all up.”

The idea for the display came to Densic and his wife seven years ago.

“There was a video that started flying around the Internet of a house in southern Ohio done to the music of Trans-Siberian Orchestra,” Densic said. “Everybody saw the house and thought it was amazing. I saw the video and thought, ‘Wow. I have to do that.’ I still had dial-up, so it took about two hours to download the video. I called my wife, and she said we had to do it. We thought it was a great way to celebrate Christmas.”

This year’s show includes seven songs from Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Densic, a Toledo Free Press political columnist, was enthusiastic about decorating for Christmas even before starting the light show. He decorated outside with 17,000 icicle lights, which used more power than his new display.

“I almost tripled the number of lights but went down in electrical costs,” Densic said. “That’s the first question we get from people, is what is our electric bill like. Honestly, it’s not that bad. At any given point in time, they are not all on, compared to a display where you just have timers with everything on. I keep arguing that as a cost-saving measure, I should put more lights and more controllers in the show, because obviously we’re saving money.”

Densic isn’t just saving money, he’s raising it by accepting donations. Since Cedar Creek Church had to cancel its light show, Densic and other members are raising money for the church.

The lights are on display from 5:30-10:30 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Hours will be extended until midnight on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Densic’s home is located at 107 Birch Drive in Rossford. Visit the web site TheAgelessChildsChristmas.com for directions and more information.

Tags: Cedar Creek Church, Christmas, Robert Densic, Rossford

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 15th, 2011 at 2:35 pm and is filed under Community, Holidays.
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Like most clubs, Club Hype features a dance floor, flashing lights and a disc jockey. What makes this new Maumee venue different is its patrons. Club Hype, a club for teenagers, opened in September with a goal to keep young adults off the streets.

Penta Career Center student Brooke Thomas said Club Hype is a popular subject with people her age and she often hears about Club Hype in school hallways. She said during days later in the week, she often hears others ask, “Are you going to Club Hype this weekend?”

Owner Stephanie Emch said she came up with the idea for a teenage club to give that age group a more positive recreation option.

“They have nothing positive to do in their lives,” Emch said of teenagers partaking in drugs and alcohol. “[Club Hype] offers the kids something to do.”

Club Hype

The club is much like an adult club, with a dance floor and bar area. A live DJ plays loud Hip-Hop, techno and pop music. The atmosphere is aimed at ages 14-18, so the only drinks offered are energy drinks and nonalcoholic mixed drinks.

Emch said she was inspired when the gym where she worked out closed. Looking at the gym, she said it was the perfect fit for a nightclub. Her family put their heads together when the gym went out of business, converting it to Club Hype.

The club met  some controversy during Halloween. Many news outlets in the area reported that some of the teenagers attending the club were dancing suggestively and not wearing appropriate clothing. Maumee police investigated photographs of these teenagers when they were posted on Facebook.

But Emch said it was a one-time mistake.

“We had no problems prior to Halloween,” Emch said. “Nothing after.”

Emch explained the incident on Halloween was a small problem that was made into a bigger problem than it had to be. She said none of the news outlets followed up in the following weeks.

“It was a big setback,” Emch said.

Amidst all of the controversy, the area’s Cedar Creek Church used the club as a venue for its Vertical youth group’s kick off for the new semester on Jan. 9. Student Ministries Director Steven Whitlow contacted owners Stephanie and Mike Emch after hearing about Club Hype and the news that surrounded it.

“There were certainly questions we had to ask,” Whitlow said, referring to booking the club as a venue for their church service. “We want our parents to trust us.”

Whitlow said that he was confident with the owners and the security; the club’s official website explains there are always two to four uniformed security guards on duty during open hours.

“They were incredibly accommodating,” Whitlow said. “What goes on at Club Hype is no different than what goes on at homecoming … [though] I don’t condone or support what goes on at homecoming.”

Whitlow said he was very pleased with the event, which he held at the club in order for people who didn’t regularly attend church services to feel more comfortable. It welcomed close to 350 teenagers after only advertising on Facebook and through word-of-mouth.

Thomas, who attended the church’s event at the club, thought it was “really cool” but didn’t agree with the concept of a teenage club.

“Letting [teenagers] have a clubbing experience before they are legal … it just causes conflict,” Thomas said. She said she debated if it was “morally OK.”

“It’s an alternative for a house party,” Emch said. “It’s safe. It’s a place to meet new people. It’s a place to dance.”

Emch said working with the church was fantastic and she can’t wait to work with them again. She has also sponsored a concert at the club, partnering with Toledo radio station 92.5 KISS FM, and is planning a prom for young people with autism in March.

Club Hype is located at 1703 Tollgate Drive in Maumee. It is open from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m on Saturdays. Online: hypetoledo.com.

Tags: Cedar Creek Church, Club Hype, Maumee

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 at 11:26 am and is filed under Music, Star.
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