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| Here
are a few pictures from previous years Remember... This is in South Florida and the snow is all made by us. |
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 Council Member Constance Scott with Santa on XMas Eve 2011 |
 It snows every night at our Holiday Show |
 The Doral Middle School Choir at our 2011 Holiday Show in Boca Raton, FL |
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 Our 20 foot high Santa behind giant Candy Canes |
 Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow |
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These pictures were
taken on Christmas Eve 2009 & 2010 |
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had several donation boxes at the shows and a hot chocolate stand
operated by three local fourth grade girls. All of the money collected was presented to the "Make A Wish" Foundation of South Florida on Christmas Eve. Below are some pictures from the presentation. |
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 Rick Newman presents check to "Make A Wish" Foundation |
 County Commissioner Steve Abrams (left) with us on XMas Eve |
 The "Hot Chocolate Girls" proudly display their "Make A Wish" certificates |
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 Lauren Englander, the founding "Hot Chocolate" girl. |
 Madison Bearden, another "Hot Chocolate Girl" |
 Lauren Wulf, the third "Hot Chocolate Girl" of 2010 |
 Commissioner Abrams with the "Hot Chocolate Girls" |
 The Hot Chocolate Girls of 2010 From left to right - Madison Bearden, Rachel Englander and Lauren Wulf |
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This certificate was awarded to us
last Christmas Eve
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About the Display: |
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Special Effects There are several special effects units incorporated into the show. For Snow we use what's known as "Evaporative Snow" shooting from a modified snow making system. It can be set to dissipate before it hits the ground or to accumulate and then evaporates on it's own. It is 99% water based and completely safe, non-toxic and completely bio-degradable. It does not harm the environment or leave any stains. The snow is only produced on nights with relatively calm winds between 6-11pm. We also use weatherproof special effects units which simulates the look of falling snow by using LED's and a special snow pattern. The Talking Santa Head is done with 3 channels/circuits of mini lights which are programmed to make Santa's mouth appear to talk & sing in sync with the audio. The Bow & Bells mounted on the building are 3 separate circuits programmed to give the illusion of bells ringing. The Marching Soldiers are controlled by a separate 2 channel flip/flop circuit which gives the effect that they are walking. The marching controller is in turn run from the Light-O-Rama unit which tells the controller when to do it's thing. The Large Oak Tree in the middle has approx. 1000 feet of weatherproof rope lights that are split/wired into 16 branches/circuits. There are also 6 sets of digitally controlled icicles which look like water dripping / snow falling. The 2 Animated Arches on either side of the oak tree are each 10 feet long with 8 circuits apiece/16 circuits together. The show also includes a weatherproof 110 volt red rotating light and several mini strobes. Laser We use a red scanning laser system programmed with a holiday themed light show which is projected onto the building. From Thanksgiving until Christmas day the laser show is about the holidays. From December 26 till January 2nd the laser has a New Year's theme. The laser is mounted inside a custom made weatherproof case. Main Control System The entire sound & light show is controlled using a 16 channel Light-O-Rama Show Director and 4 additional 16 channel add-on units for a total of 80 computer controlled circuits. Programming The programming done by us makes the lights, snow and other effects turn on & off in sync to the music. It is done on a computer in 1/20th of a second intervals for each song. This allows precise timing and choreography of the show. The data is then saved on a SD Card for later loading into the Light-O-Rama control system. Show Times At the pre-programmed time (6pm), the Light-O-Rama Show Director automatically starts the show and the whole display runs by itself until the pre-set off time which currently is set for 11pm. Audio The audio portion of the show is recorded as MP3 files. In order to properly hear the sound there are two independent playback sources. One is a professional quality amplifier connected to weatherproof outdoor speakers. The amp is plugged into a simple AC timer which turns the unit on & off when needed. This system allows passerby's the opportunity to hear the show as they walk past the display. The second audio source is a low power FM transmitter. This broadcasts the audio portion of the show in high quality sound to approx. a 1500 foot radius so everyone in the area can hear the show tunes through their car radios. So we don't annoy our neighbors, the entire system is programmed to shut down at 11:00 pm. There are also motion sensors that automatically turns off the outdoor speakers when no one is at the show for more than a few minutes. How it Works The music files and computer commands for the show are placed onto a SD flash memory card and loaded into the Show Director along with the start and stop times of the show. At the pre-programmed time, the lights, lasers and special effects come on, the music starts, the audio amp and FM transmitter turn on and the whole thing runs itself night after night without any human interaction. The only thing we have to do is refill the snow machine with fluid every few days. Type of Lights There are many different types of lights used in the show. Rope lights (also known as tube lights) are used throughout the display. The ones we use have bulbs spaced every inch which produces a very even light. There are also numerous display items which use LED's. These are very low power consuming and last for many years. We also use some low wattage mini incandescent lights on a few of the items. Power Although most people think it costs a small fortune, because of the use of low power consuming LED's and the fact that the lights are really in an off state most of the time, the system actually uses very little electricity to run. Even though we are using over 25,000 bulbs and special effects in the show, together with the recent cool weather our electric bill has actually gone down slightly. Security The entire system is monitored 24 hours a day by numerous high resolution day & night vision video cameras, motion sensors and other electronic devices. Why We Do This The economy is down, people are out of work, and it's the holiday season. Why not cheer people up and put some smiles on kids faces. We do these shows because of years of experience producing large scale ones. We do this because we care about the community and our neighbors. We do this because we love kids. We do this because it feels good to do nice things for others. We do this as an inspiration for others to do the same or more. Who Put it Together The entire show was designed, programmed and installed by Rick Newman of HighTechScience.org & High-TechProductions.com For more info call 561-750-7000 or send us an E-Mail and let us know what you think of the show. |
Here are some (low-resolution) video's of our past Holiday Sound & Light Shows
Carol of the Bells |
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Jingle Bells |
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Happy Hanukah To You |
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Our Outdoor Musical Holiday Laser Show |
Reflections of the Earth |
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March of the Wooden Soldier |
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer |
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Here are some e-mails & letters that we have received on our display. |
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Well Rick, I have to officially say….”you are too much”. Thank you for continually providing an energy and inspiration to help me focus on becoming better and better as a person. I really love to see what you do and I hope I can be a part of it someday in the near future. Merry Christmas to you and your wife. Derek M. |
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Hi!
We enjoyed your display last night and what you are doing for the community. We are visiting from North Carolina and were amazed at your skill and charity. Thanks again for a great experience, Melissa |
| Dear Mr.
Newman, I wanted to thank you again for the wonderful holiday light show. My daughter and I enjoyed it immensely! You have definitely provided us with one of the highlights of our holiday season. I'm sure you have inspired her and who knows maybe she'll try a little harder in her science lessons. I had no idea I had such a brilliant neighbor! Many thanks and I wish you the very best the holiday season has to offer. Happy New Year. Sincerely, Jamie |
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I just wanted to tell you that we stopped by on Christmas Eve for one of your loops and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Thanks for helping to get us into the spirit, all the while piquing our technical side! Mike
G. |
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I saw your holiday display and ever since then I come every night with
my kids. They just can't get enough of it. Thank you again for doing
this and have a wonderful holiday.
Kathy L. |
| Rick,
You have outdone yourself. The Xmas lights are fantastic. I've never seen anything like this in my entire life. I can't wait till next year to see what you come up with. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Susan T. |
| Mr.
Newman,
I have seen a lot of holiday light shows but none come close to yours. My kids love it and even my parents think it was nice. That say's a lot. I can't believe how well you were able to coordinate the lights with the music. PLEASE do this again next year. John S. |
| Dear
Neighbor,
I've watched your holiday 2008 light show several times and appreciated the creativity it represents as well as recognizing more than one religious holiday. Thank you for your unique contribution to our neighborhood. Marc H. |
| Richard,
Thank you so much for not only setting up a fantastic sound and light show but for taking the time to explain how it works to my kids. Since then it's all they talk about. Have a great holiday. Stacy L |
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Over time I have watched some of the things you do at your house and am always fascinated, but your light show is one of your best creations. THANK YOU for doing this and thank you for letting my kids pose with your robots. Karen Y. |
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Hey Rick,
I drove over to see your display and I was amazed!! Your display is way better than mine! lol
Merry Christmas,
Joe T.
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I just
wanted you to know that my boyfriend and I caught your show on its last
night. It was wonderful and we really want to express our
appreciation of all your work for everyone to enjoy. You certainly
spread the Christmas spirit!
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Ellen Burr
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The Christmas
show is designed by Rick
Newman of: For more info call
561-750-7000 or send us an E-Mail. |
| This Year's Show Sponsors & Supporters | ||
| High-Tech Productions | PraxAir | General Foam Plastics |
|
HighTechScience.org Our Community Involvement Who We Are & Who is Rick Newman News & Press Center |
