Come visit Candy Cane Lane

If you are looking for a fun, fabulous family outing check out Candy Cane Lane in Springvalley.

For the third year in a row, more than a dozen homes in the neighbourhood located on Collinson and Gramiak roads and Mary Court have lit up the night sky with Christmas lights.

“We decorate a little too much some may say but we all think it is still not enough, there is never enough. We also try to outdo ourselves every year,” laughs neighbourhood organizer and homeowner Damjan Madjar.

Madjar owns one of the two houses in the video above that put in the extra effort to synchronize their light displays to accompanying Christmas Carols, each house seeming to try to outdo each other.

“There is a little bit of a rivalry between a few of them within the neighbourhood that is a little side thing going on,” jokes Madjar.

The neighbourhood really gets into the spirit and does it all for no reward. All the money and time is volunteered by homeowners and food donations are collected in the neighbourhood for two local charities.

Madjar says they also want Christmas and fabulous light displays to be for everyone, not just the 'fancy' neighbourhoods.

“We wanted to show this spirit in a normal neighbourhood, and when I say normal it is not like we are living in Upper Mission or in a very expensive neighbourhood with million dollar houses, it is just your normal average neighbourhood and it just really shows that everybody has heart and it just gets everybody into that holiday spirit,” explains Madjar.

This weekend the neighbourhood is hosting their unofficial, official, neighbourhood block party. A chance to showcase their Candy Cane Lane and some local music talent, offer hot beverages and collect food donations.

“It's free, there is live music for an hour and half with Anna Jacyszyn & Teena Ree Gowdy, there is hot chocolate and coffee donated by Tim Hortons and it just gets everybody in the Christmas spirit...because that is what it is all about right, just getting together with friends and family and enjoying the holidays,” shares Madjar.

The weekend event is Saturday December 21, 2013 in the evening, the live music will be from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

The neighbourhood is also doing it to help others.

“If they can bring a non-perishable food item it is greatly appreciated, but is not mandatory...it is sort of what we do as incentive,” says Madjar.

This year the neighbourhood even got an extra boost from some local business sponsors, Fortis BC and the City of Kelowna donated a ton of Christmas lights and Shaw Cable donated 'Shaw bears' for them to give to kids who come check out Candy Cane Lane.

Candy Cane Lane runs now until January 1, 2014 from 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. every evening

Photo: Carmen Weld