Lights Make Visitors Glow, Others Glower Qualchan Show Shortened To Help Neighbors Regain Good Cheer

The biggest Christmas light show in Eastern Washington will be scaled back this year after south Spokane residents objected to 24,000 cars chugging through their neighborhood.

Spokane Winter Lights, a drive-through show at The Creek at Qualchan Golf Course, begins Friday at 6 p.m.

Visitors pay $5 per car to cruise more than two miles through the course, which is decorated with animated light displays of leaping reindeer, dancing elves and a waving Santa Claus.

The display debuted last year, and more than 100,000 people showed up.

Organizers are gearing up for a bigger turnout this Christmas, even though the show will be open 29 days instead of 39.

“It was extremely popular,” said Roy Cheney, a superintendent at the golf course. “It was a much bigger success than we anticipated.”

Ditto for neighbors who live near the entrance to the lighted-up, blinking fairways.

Mack Dilley said it took him nearly 20 minutes last year to drive a few blocks to his house in Bridlewood, a development where home prices push $210,000.

Cars backed up on the only road in and out of the course, creating a traffic jam nearly every night, Dilley said.

“The sad part is the lights are pretty and everything, but our lives have to be completely reworked around the show,” he said. “It’s unfortunate.”

Dolores Depell, who lives down the street from Dilley, said the show was such a hit last year that 20 and 30 cars lined up on U.S. Highway 195 at a time, waiting to get in.

“It was a tremendous crowd,” said Depell, who recently complained about the light show with several other neighbors at a City Council meeting. “People loved it. But it was a huge inconvenience for us.”

Winter Lights sponsors said they’ve listened to residents’ complaints since September and made changes they hope will help.

Besides reducing the number of nights for the show, they pushed back its starting time from 5 to 6 p.m.

Marion Severud, the show’s spokeswoman, said that should give residents more time to get home before the cars start lining up.

A pair of electronic reader boards on Highway 195 will guide drivers to the Meadowland Road turnout and remind them to slow down, she said. A temporary 35 mph speed limit may be set during the show.

In addition, two Spokane police officers will direct traffic each night. A center lane on the road leading to the golf course will be reserved for residents, who will be given special “priority routing” passes, Severud said.

More lighting along the golf course roadways and an FM radio station that will broadcast information about the show are other improvements, she said.

“We have a lot of empathy for the neighbors who put up with us,” she said. “They have cars all through their back yards, all through December.”

Proceeds from the show, which cost $98,000 to put on last year, go to the city’s park and recreation programs and improvements.

After expenses, Winter Lights took in more than $33,000 last year. Organizers expect more than 125,000 people will visit the display this season.

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