Groton holiday traditions are underway

Among the best holiday traditions in Groton are the annual tree lighting and arrival of Santa Claus and “Scottland Lights” at 411 Peru Rd. — the incredible Christmas light show that has graced the home of John Scott and Beth Underwood Scott since 2008 — and both are kicking off the season this week! 

Ongoing construction of the new municipal building where the tree lighting has traditionally taken place on Main Street means that a new location has been identified on Conger Boulevard, near the gazebo and the Frank Satterly Bridge. Community members will find a tree decorated for the season there, and the festivities will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. 

“You can expect to see some flashing lights and hear a lot of sirens when Santa is escorted down Main Street at six o’clock and then down Conger Boulevard, giving him the proper introduction he deserves,” said Eric DeForrest, chief of the Groton Fire Department (GFD).  

On site, participants can expect to find cookies and hot chocolate prepared and donated by the Groton American Legion, Casper’s Kitchen preparing hot cups of chili, and members of the GFD helping to coordinate the event.   

“The Groton Fire Department would like to thank the Village DPW [Department of Public Works] for diligently working on this new location and making sure it is ready for the big night,” DeForrest said. “We are all very excited about this event and giving our community the opportunity to come out for some Christmas music and their kids the opportunity to tell Santa what they would like for Christmas.”   

Meanwhile, the Scott family has been busy since September preparing for their annual contribution to the joy of the season. For the second consecutive year, they are accepting monetary donations — not for themselves, but to benefit the GFD.  

While Scottland Lights has been going on since 2008, getting bigger and better each year, a very special addition that debuted in 2019 is a donation box on the right-hand side of their driveway, built by their daughter, Tara. The box is not to benefit the Scotts in any way, but to give back to the community.  

“We collected over $800 for the fire department to help with the free firefighter kids’ camp last year,” John said. “Beth and I decided we wanted our collections to go to them again this year.” 

Beth, a 1985 Groton High School (GHS) alumna, was born and raised at 104 Roosevelt Ave. She grew up loving Christmas lights because her father, Ellard Underwood, decorated their home with a plethora of lights and decorations from the early 1950s until his death in 1994.  

John grew up on Staten Island, New York, but circumstances brought John to this area in 2001, and he met Beth. They were married on Christmas Eve, 2002. He was born with glaucoma and eventually developed cataracts. Unfortunately, he suffered a retinal detachment resulting from cataract surgery, rendering him legally blind. 

In 2004, the Scotts built their Peru Road home, carrying on the tradition of decking the home with beautiful Christmas lights every year. By 2008, it had become a destination for holiday light seekers, just as Roosevelt Avenue had been in years gone by. 

At that point, John switched things over to add music to the lights, with a few iterations over the years. John now uses a Falcon pixel control board so that he can utilize pixels for his lights with a Raspberry Pi computer, allowing him to program the lights and music together via DC current and wireless internet. 

Most songs are about three minutes long, and on average, it takes John about 40 to 60 hours per song to program the lights to sync with them! On top of that, there is also quite a bit of time involved in designing the sets outdoors each year. Beth assists him with design ideas, and their son, Lawrence, is John’s “right-hand man” for putting the displays in place.  

The show has grown bigger and better every year, and John is grateful to have help from Lawrence, a 2014 GHS alumnus who also earned his computer technology certificate from TST BOCES.  

Both men get busy on the roof around September with the physical displays, and Lawrence has the know-how to take charge of all the wiring that needs to be done.  

“We keep adding more things every year,” John said. “This year’s addition is Santa and his reindeer and two new stars on the house and garage. Matt Starner made the metal frames, and we added the lights. Also, the pixels have increased on all the lights this year from p10 to p5, and my giant Christmas tree has gone from 1200 pixels to 2400.”  

No matter whether you live nearby or come from miles around, whether you are a regular or have never experienced the display, the joy and the magic of hearing the Christmas music that syncs with the lights so perfectly may be just what you and your family need to lift your spirits.  

“It’s a pleasure to be right in the village and bring this show to everyone,” Beth said. “We want everyone to have a blessed Christmas.” 

To experience the incredible Scottland Lights, pull your vehicle off to the side of the road, tune your car radio in to 89.7 on the FM dial, relax and enjoy — but please don’t block any driveways or enter the lawn area where the displays are.  

The show runs daily through Saturday, Jan. 6, beginning at 5 p.m. and loops until 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday the music is Christian themed; Monday and Wednesday play traditional Christmas songs; and Friday and Saturday shows offer a blend of both. Each show lasts 45 to 60 minutes.  

“I personally feel these events benchmark small-town living and give our community the opportunity to make it part of their holiday season,” DeForrest said. “These holiday traditions have been going on for years, and every year we try to add a little something to it.”   

DeForrest added that the tree-lighting event is GFD’s first holiday event of the season, with more to come as the month goes on. GFD is partnering with the Groton Community Cupboard again this year to continue its food drive tradition, with Santa riding on top of the fire truck throughout the village collecting donated goods and greeting everyone. This event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 16. Final details will be posted on the GFD Facebook page and in the Dec. 13 edition of this column.  

And speaking of Santa Claus — he will also be on site at Scottland Lights from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Candy canes will be handed out to the children, and if you bring a camera, Santa will pose for a photo opportunity.  

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922.  

In brief: 

Presentation on proposed mascots 

There will be a public presentation of the three Groton Central School mascot finalists with accompanying student-created logos at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11 in the Jr./Sr. High School cafeteria. Public feedback will be accepted at that time via a survey using Google Forms. 

Groton Community Cupboard has a new van! 

With special thanks to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, the Community Foundation of Tompkins County and the Maguire Family of Dealerships, the Groton Community Cupboard is delighted to announce that it now has a lovely red van that may be seen around town. 

This van will be used to pick up supplies on a weekly basis to keep the pantry functioning. Eventually, it will also be used for its homebound patrons who are unable to come to the pantry. Deliveries, which will not start for a while yet, will be made on an as-needed basis.  

Winter gear donations needed 

The Groton Parent Teacher Organization is sponsoring a winter gear drive. Calling all coats, mittens, hats, boots, scarves, etc.! As you dig through your closets in preparation for the cold weather, please consider dropping off gently used winter gear at the Groton Elementary School lobby any time. Items will be sorted, cleaned and placed in the elementary school lobby for anyone to take, for free, beginning Friday, Dec 1. Donations will be accepted throughout December.  

If you need winter gear but are unable to take advantage of the scheduled pick-up times, please contact the GPTO for assistance at gpto@groton.cnyric.org.