Scottland Lights still adding joy to the season

One of the best holiday traditions in Groton is Scottland Lights at 411 Peru Rd., the incredible light show that has graced the home of John Scott and Beth Underwood Scott during the holiday season since 2008.

No matter whether you live here, come from miles around, are a “regular” or have never experienced it, this year, more than ever, 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.

All you need is time and a vehicle with a car radio tuned in to 89.7 FM to have an evening of delightful entertainment, courtesy of John and Beth.

Beth 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. In its day, that home was the go-to place to see a light display in Groton.

John lived and worked in and around New York City until circumstances brought him to a conference at Cornell University in July 2001, where he met Beth. They fell in love and were married on Christmas Eve 2002, after which they both resided at 104 Roosevelt Ave.

One of his new bride’s first requests was for John to put her father’s Christmas lights up. While not as grand and glorious as it once was, Beth was delighted to have them up and running again.

In 2004, the Scotts built their home at 411 Peru Rd. and carried on the tradition of decking the home with beautiful Christmas lights every year. By 2008, it had already become just as much a “destination” for holiday light seekers as Roosevelt Avenue had been in years gone by.

Since then, after a few iterations, 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 — not only streamlining the process but costing him far less to run the electricity.

John had attended the Technical Career Institute in Manhattan in the early ’90s, where his knowledge of electronics was attained. He worked as a lineman for the New York Telephone Company for about 10 years, but at that point, his life began to take a drastic turn.

He had been born with glaucoma, a condition he’s lived with throughout his life, but things digressed for him to a point where he developed cataracts. Unfortunately, he suffered a retinal detachment as a result of cataract surgery, rendering him legally blind and no longer able to do that work.

Nonetheless, John has found a way to make the light show happen, but as it has grown bigger and better every year, he is very grateful to have the help of his son, Lawrence.

Lawrence is a Groton Class of 2014 alum who earned his computer technology certificate from TST BOCES. That has served him well because he is an invaluable help to his father to set things up every year.

Both men get busy up 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. Lawrence became an Eagle Scout in 2013, and his final project was the building and placement of birdhouses all over Groton, so he is also skilled in the carpentry work involved.

Christmas songs are typically about three minutes long, and it takes John roughly 40 to 60 hours per song to program the lights to sync with them. There is a great deal of time involved in designing the sets outdoors each year, and Beth assists him with the design ideas.
Last year, John added video screens to the display, a giant snowflake and trees that talk during the show. This year, hundreds of icicles, a 4-by-8-foot matrix panel and a lighted manger scene were added.

A very special addition in 2019 was a donation box on the right-hand side of their driveway. They have connected with the Cayuga Medical Center Foundation, and anyone who wishes to donate toward cancer research is welcome to do so.

“Last year we collected $328,” John said. “I would love to see that doubled this year.”

The light shows begin at 5 p.m. daily, looping until 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There are two separate shows this year. Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday the show is 34 minutes, Monday and Wednesday is a 47-minute show, and both shows are combined on Friday and Saturday for a total of one hour and 14 minutes.

Stop by any night of the week, be sure you pull off onto the shoulder of the road, tune your car radio in to 89.7 FM, and enjoy the show!

“It gives me something to do,” John said. “And when I see the kids smile, it makes it all worth it.”

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or 607-227-4922.

In brief:

Groton Community Choir

The popular Groton Community Choir would have given its 70th annual live performance this year, but sadly, like most everything else, COVID-19 has caused its director, Ginny Casey, to get creative with how she could still bring something to the community in place of this longstanding tradition.

In lieu of a full choir cantata, there will be a livestreamed performance from some select smaller groups, generously hosted by Groton Assembly of God church, 701 S. Main St.

The performance of “God’s Gift Wrapped Up in a Baby Boy” will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 via facebook.com/grotonassembly/videos or on YouTube (search for grotonassemblyofgod). Please note the program is a live event only. There will be no public availability of the performance thereafter due to copyright restrictions.

Virtual book discussion

The Groton Public Library will host a virtual book discussion at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6 via Zoom. The book is “The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Email director@grotonpubliclibrary.org to request a copy of the book or to join the discussion group.

Clothing Closet news

The Clothing Closet, 160 Main St., is regularly open from 10 a.m. to noon every second and fourth Saturday of the month and during those same hours on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month. Clothing for the entire family is available free of charge.

Currently, the racks are full, and it is not accepting donations of clothing until further notice but encourages all to stop in and shop. It is not necessary to be a resident of Groton to shop there.

It will be closed for the holidays Wednesday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 26.