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Christmas arches

bernorange

By bernorange
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bernorange

bernorange 8362

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I went for a walk through my neighborhood a few days ago and saw something I've never seen before.  My neighborhood generally runs about 60-70% of homes decorating yards for holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and especially Christmas.  Some neighbors really do impressive things like a homemade Santa rollercoaster.  Most just do very nice light displays.

What I saw on my walk was a set of four arches spanning over the street.  Each arch was spaced roughy one yard apart so all four together covered were spaced across two homes/yards on a given side of the street.  The arches were made of 1.25" PVC wrapped with red electrical tape and a strand of lights.  It looked like a post hole digger was used to set each end and I couldn't tell from my quick look if they used cement or not - too muddy to tell.  The arches looked to be roughly 20' tall and just barely tall enough for the city's garbage trucks to fit under them.  I'm assuming several neighbors were involved in the project as the lights for each arch ran to different homes.

It kind of made me wonder about the legality of the display since the arches are spanning over the public street.

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Me to my kids while they were growing up, "You want lights outside or more presents?"

My 27yo son this year after putting out lights on his trees and house for the first time ever, "we need to have some kids..."

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Doc Reeves

Doc Reeves 6434

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7 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Mardi Gras Christmas. cool.

Fire Department would certainly like to make sure these arrangements maintain safe access for fire and rescue, bern.  

 

Fire marshal is highly involved and they have an electrical co. come out to check the load on each house and the utility line. 

used to live on 45th street around the corner from this. Honestly, that photo is good but doesn’t do proper justice to the orgy of lights that will sometimes happen

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phdhorn

phdhorn 6224

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37th hasn't always been consistent.  Really in much of the past 15 years it declined a lot - too many originals moved/died and many new homeowners didn't want to do it.  I think it's sort of ramped up beginning last year and again this year.  But maybe half the 30 years it's been happening, it was reduced or almost zip.

But if it's ramped up, it's well worth the visit, especially if you have a sunroof.  

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bernorange

bernorange 8362

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11 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

what are you...some kind of code enforcement asshole?  Are you on the HOA board?   

No, I'm a very average asshole.  Not a specialist.  I wasn't interested in complaining about the arches.  I'm just curious about them as I've never seen anything like this in a residential neighborhood.

11 hours ago, swraith said:

Got pics ?

The weather this morning was pretty shitty (no sun), but I got a couple of images to share:

1107912920_arches-edited.thumb.jpg.bbeafe724f7684e9cb2b97fee79b2c18.jpg

post.thumb.jpg.cec466e06a75d939ad1db8be79dcfef5.jpg

I was able to see the concrete at the base of the posts this morning. 

9 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Fire Department would certainly like to make sure these arrangements maintain safe access for fire and rescue, bern. 

I'm thinking the arches might just be an insidious plot to decapitate fire truck Santa this year.  2020, why not?

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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Yeah, tacky looking but nothing to raise a fuss over.  I bet kids enjoy looking out their bedroom windows at bedtime and seeing them all lit up.  Be cool if they alternated colors from one arch to the other.  

Anybody been on 37th street this year yet?  If it's worth going, post something.  I'm on the fence since it'd be a bit of a trek home with two little ones who need to get to bed but we're all about drive-thru light shows this year.  Trail of LIghts was surprisingly awesome the other night, despite having to whiz through in the truck

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Dennis Taylor

Dennis Taylor 18835

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18 hours ago, bernorange said:

I went for a walk through my neighborhood a few days ago and saw something I've never seen before.  My neighborhood generally runs about 60-70% of homes decorating yards for holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and especially Christmas.  Some neighbors really do impressive things like a homemade Santa rollercoaster.  Most just do very nice light displays.

What I saw on my walk was a set of four arches spanning over the street.  Each arch was spaced roughy one yard apart so all four together covered were spaced across two homes/yards on a given side of the street.  The arches were made of 1.25" PVC wrapped with red electrical tape and a strand of lights.  It looked like a post hole digger was used to set each end and I couldn't tell from my quick look if they used cement or not - too muddy to tell.  The arches looked to be roughly 20' tall and just barely tall enough for the city's garbage trucks to fit under them.  I'm assuming several neighbors were involved in the project as the lights for each arch ran to different homes.

It kind of made me wonder about the legality of the display since the arches are spanning over the public street.

stripes lighten GIF

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89734

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10 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Well it’s been happening for like 40 years, so I’m guessing they have it figured out. 

8 hours ago, phdhorn said:

37th hasn't always been consistent.  Really in much of the past 15 years it declined a lot - too many originals moved/died and many new homeowners didn't want to do it.  I think it's sort of ramped up beginning last year and again this year.  But maybe half the 30 years it's been happening, it was reduced or almost zip.

But if it's ramped up, it's well worth the visit, especially if you have a sunroof.  

One or two folks got their shit together, or rather got everybody else to get their shit together, and bring it back big time a few years ago.

https://www.austin360.com/news/20181210/its-back-neighbors-band-together-to-revive-austins-beloved-37th-street-holiday-light-tradition

Quote

Call it a miracle on 37th Street.

After a yearslong hiatus, one of Austin’s longest-running and most beloved holiday traditions — the 37th Street Lights — is back thanks to neighbors who live on the University of Texas campus-area block.

“It’s a very weird little slice of Austin culture,” said street resident Robert Foster. “It’s Christmas lights done the Austin way.”

Foster, who grew up in Austin and fondly remembers marveling at the quirky, irreverent and unique light displays along 37th Street as a child, moved onto the block three years ago and noticed that only a handful of his neighbors were keeping alive the tradition, which originated in the mid-1980s.

Over taco nights and sidewalk chats, the 29-year-old web developer at Austin Community College floated an idea: Let’s bring back the lights.

4 hours ago, Lobo said:

Anybody been on 37th street this year yet?  If it's worth going, post something.  I'm on the fence since it'd be a bit of a trek home with two little ones who need to get to bed but we're all about drive-thru light shows this year.  Trail of LIghts was surprisingly awesome the other night, despite having to whiz through in the truck

Unfortunately for this year, they canceled it so that they don't have a shit-ton of people walking through their driveways and yards and sidewalks.

https://www.facebook.com/37thstreetlights/photos/a.730669560666170/1246294602436994

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Sorry, folks! unfortunately we just can’t justify hosting our normal hundreds/thousands of people at our houses this year. we have elderly residents, immunocompromised residents, no way to control car/foot traffic, and no way to enforce mask wearing. we’re very excited to show you what we’ve been working on next year, but for now please stay at your homes, not ours.  see y’all next year!

PS-we’d like you challenge YALL to do your lights as BIG and WEIRD as you can. If you do, send us a message and we’ll create a map with all the submissions for y’all to drive around and see this year’s biggest, weirdest lights around Austin. 

As always, thank you for the support! We can’t wait to show y’all what we’ve been working on.

 

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atomheartbevo

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Oh, and this year, some motherfucker stole the large David Hasselhoff display

https://www.facebook.com/37thstreetlights/posts/1252535508479570

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ATTENTION EVERYONE!!! Iconic 37th Street member David Hasslehoff cardboard cutout has been STOLEN!!!

If you see a giant David Hasslehoff please message us immediately!!!! The lights may be cancelled but HASLEHOFF IS NOT!!!

#FINDHOFF

“This morning after 8am and before 2pm our porch was robbed. They stole a LIFESIZE CARDBOARD CUTOUT OF DAVID HASSLEHOFF that I have had for EIGHT YEARS and was a gift from a DEAR FRIEND. They also completely destroyed the porch/moved all our things.

I live on 37th street. If you’re a guest at our annual lights show, you might even have a photo with this particular hasslehoff.

IF YOU KNOW THE PERPETRATOR PLEASE MESSAGE ME! I WILL PERSONALLY BUY YOU A NEW HASSLEHOFF OR CELEBRITY OF YOUR CHOICE. I NEED THIS ONE BACK!!!!! #FINDHOFF “

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