This Kansas homeowner says a bow and arrow ‘comes in handy’ for his stunning light display
By JoBeth Davis
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STILWELL, Kansas (KMBC) — More than 4,000 holiday lights surround a home in Stilwell, Kansas.
Owner Tom Barnett is behind the stunning display, and it’s something he has been building on for the past 12 years
Check out the display in the video player above.
“I change it up each year to do something different just so that everybody can smile when they drive by the house,” Barnett said.
His lights have inspired his neighbors, and he has even lent a hand to the Arboretum, but Barnett said he learned this unusual lighting method from a friend.
“I learned from a guy in Mission Hills, a friend of ours,” Barnett said. “And I watched him shoot a potato gun … and I thought, ‘We can do that.'”
However, Barnett’s approach is a little different.
“So, a bow and arrow comes in really handy,” he said.
“I shoot an arrow over a limb with fishing line on it. I’ve weighted the head of the arrow so it drops down … and then I tie that to a rope or a string and pull it back over, so now you have two pieces on either side of the limb, and then you tie one of those pieces on to the lights.”
Barnett said he starts the process in September, putting ropes and lights up. He works through October and into November to get the display together.
“This is really fun,” he said. “I get a lot of joy out of doing this. It’s just something to do to make people smile.”
You can see Barnett’s display for yourself on Metcalf Avenue, just north of 191st Street in Stilwell, Kansas.
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