One last glow-round for Leicester couple's outdoor Christmas display

LEICESTER — This year will mark the last families will have the chance to get lost in the sea of inflatable holiday displays and streams of Christmas lights at 25 Waite St., as the multidecade holiday tradition is coming to an end.

Available to the public free of charge in the yard of Scott and Denise Weikel's house, it has proved, as they have gotten “up there in age,” to be difficult to set up and keep running through the holiday, they said on the display’s Facebook page.

They said they were not doing interviews about the display anymore.

The Weikels used the Facebook page to share some of the inflatable characters that folks would be treated to this year — SpongeBob SquarePants, Dr. Seuss’s Whoville and Peppa Pig among them — and to document the process through photos and stories.

In one post, the couple pointed to the harsh New England weather that makes it difficult to set up and maintain the inflatables when they become covered in snow, sometimes requiring someone to climb and clear ice off of inflatables on their roof.

Another post showed the thousands of plastic stakes used to hold the inflatables down.

The couple also mentioned the high cost of keeping the display glowing continuously — including liability insurance, which they started getting as the number of visitors to their home has climbed over the years.

In a 2012 interview with the T&G, the Weikels said their electric bill increased by about $600 during Christmas.

Although visitors sometimes offer cash for their visits, the Weikels have continued to keep the display free. Sometimes, they have taken donations for charities such as the Relay for Life.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Scott and Denise Weikel of Leicester to end outdoor Christmas display