Annual Xenia Lights show will begin earlier this year

XENIA — For the past 10 years, Xenia Lights has been a popular attraction in Greene County.

Randy Person, Chief of the Xenia Police Division, created the display.

“More people know me as the Xenia Lights guy. The guy who puts up the Christmas lights than the Xenia Police Chief,” said Person.

The chief started the display as a challenge from his kids after going to see the lights at Clifton Mill.

“My older son said - I bet you could do this at home,” said Person.

He did. For 6 years Chief Person coordinated the lights to music and the attraction at his home became so popular that it often created a traffic jam in his neighborhood.

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“My wife said I had no idea that’s what you were going to do," said Person. “Ha. I’m not sure she was my biggest fan for the first couple of years that we did this.”

Chief Person’s wife is a big fan now. So are people in the Xenia community. The past 4 years the show has taken place at Shawnee Park.

This year Chief Person considered pulling the plug on the display after a 10-year run and lots of work. But the coronavirus pandemic changed his mind.

“My wife and I talked. This was not the year to stop. You can listen to the music in your car, so it’s something they can do that’s safe in this time of COVID-19,” said Person.

The display is also free. Chief Person and his family are responsible for the set up and the city pays for the electric, which Person said is between $35-50 per season.

This year Chief Person is starting the show earlier than usual. Despite some wind damage the chief hopes to have the display operating by Wednesday.

“What we’re going to do is bring back some of the non-Christmas songs we’ve done the past few years and let that run a week,” said Person. “Then on the evening of Thanksgiving, we’ll start our Christmas program.”

Once operating, the 45-50 minute show will run daily through January 1, 2021. You can see the lights from 5 p.m. to midnight at the Shawnee Park Pavilion. You can hear the music by tuning your radio to 104.1.

Cox Media Group