Panama City man featured on ABC's "The Great Christmas Light Fight" episode
PANAMA CITY — One Panama City man celebrated Christmas early this year by recently being featured on the popular ABC Network show, "The Great Christmas Light Fight."
Since he was young, Scott Fester has always loved setting up Christmas decorations with his family each year. Decorating for Christmas became his passion over time — funneling that passion into what has become one of the most popular light shows in Bay County. Recently, Fester’s Christmas light show was featured on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight.
“It started when my family would decorate for Christmas and it was always a tradition for my dad and me to decorate out the house. I always noticed an area that needed more lights and would add them in,” Fester said.
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The Great Christmas Light Fight is a competition that features a series of individuals or groups that create elaborate Christmas light displays. After producers reached out to Fester, he began setting up his Christmas lights in the middle of the summer. Fester participated in the ninth season and came close to winning the $50,000 prize and light bulb trophy. His episode aired on Nov. 29 on ABC.
Fester said it was always his dream to be on the show and is grateful to be given the opportunity. ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight will soon stream on platforms such as Netflix and Hulu.
“When I got the phone call, I immediately started crying. It was more about the opportunity to be asked to be in the show because it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life,” Fester said.
Fester hosts a Christmas light show each year in Panama City that continues to grow to be many people's favorite. He said his first light show started six years ago with a few thousand Christmas lights and this year the light show has almost a million lights.
This year he’s hosting Christmas Extravaganza, a drive-through or walk-through full of Christmas lights, located at Grace Presbyterian Church at 1415 Airport Road. This is the first year at a new location and the second year doing a walk-through light show.
Christmas Extravaganza contains lots of entertainment for families and friends to enjoy including music, a balloon artist, a snow machine, face painting, a Christmas house an igloo, and Santa Claus one night a week. This year’s theme is Disney, with synchronized music from popular Disney songs and Disney character displays featured in the light show.
Parker Saidak, a local member of the Arrow of Lights Scouts Club, said he enjoys the holidays each year and was amazed by the lights at this year's event.
"The entire thing was just amazing to see. My favorite part of the walk-through was the Christmas igloo because I've never seen anything like it before," Saidak said.
The hundreds of displays that helped spread holiday cheer brought one man out from Mobile, Alabama.
"After I saw Scott's presentation on TV, I had to come out and see what it was about and was truly amazed by everything that was put together," said Darron Gordon, a Mobile native.
The event is free to the public, however, the church will accept $5 donations per person and $1 for s’mores and hot chocolate from Girl Scouts Troop #3040. Christmas Extravaganza runs nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on weeknights and 5:30 to 11 p.m. on weekends.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City's Scott Fester featured on ABC's Christmas light show
