Tomorrow night at 7, the gala lighting ceremony is still on for the Christmas-lights display dubbed the Helmstetler Family Spectacular (if that doesn’t jog a memory, check this story from last year) – but family friend and display mastermind Jim Winder says what you see in the photo above is the reason why it won’t be as spectacular as they’d planned:

Last night we did our first show for family and neighbors…

but then, sometime last night/early this morning my Big Tree broke. There is no way I can have it fixed for the scheduled Lighting Ceremony on Saturday (or probably even this year), but as of right now we are still planning on doing the lighting ceremony … there will just be a LOT fewer lights than originally planned.

After receiving that note, we asked Jim if there’s anything anyone can do to help (since we knew someone would ask):

Right now I am trying to figure out what to do, but it more than likely won’t include putting that tree back up…even though it was going to be the “highlight” of the display.

Don’t think there is much anyone can do, as that tree pretty much took me all summer to build…just don’t have the time or resources to rebuild it. And even if I did, nothing is assured it would not happen again. So…back to the drawing board!!

Given the splendor of last year’s synchronized-to-music display, you’re still likely to be delighted by whatever results – Jim’s been working on it all year. Here are the details of Saturday night’s ceremony; here’s where to find it (3908 SW Charlestown); and here’s the season’s schedule.