Record-Setting Hudson Valley Holiday Light Display Celebrates 20 Years

In 1995, first-time father Timothy Gay wanted to make Christmas something special for his daughter. He went to work putting up strings of holiday lights. Some 20 years and two more children later, the Gay family's 600-light display evolved into an elaborate 600,000-light display that has set records and drawn people to their Union Vale home by the thousands.

The ERDAJT Holiday Light Display -- named after the three Gay children, Emily Raejean, Daniel Arthur and John Timothy -- kicked off its 20th season on Friday, Nov. 28. Last year, the family recaptured the Guinness World Record for the largest residential holiday light display, an honor first bestowed on them in 2012.

The display has grown immensely over the past two decades and so has the audience. Gay estimates some 50,000 people visited the light display last year. Visitors began asking the Gays if they could donate. The family declined but saw an opportunity for local nonprofits to benefit from fundraising at the ERDAJT Holiday Light Display. In the four years organizations have been collecting at the Union Vale attraction, nearly $165,000 has been raised for charity. This year, the charities collecting donations include Navy SEAL Veterans, the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie, the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation and the Ryan McElroy Children's Cancer Foundation.

The fundraising weekend for the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie will take place Friday, Dec. 11. WPDH will be on hand at the Union Vale display that Friday from 5PM to 8PM to kick off our holiday gift drive for the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie. The gift drive will continue at the Poughkeepsie Galleria's center court on Saturday, Dec. 12 from noon to 3PM. ERDAJT will be collecting monetary contributions for the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie on the evenings of both Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12.

The ERDAJT Holiday Light Display will run through Tuesday, Dec. 29. The hours are 4:50PM to 9:30PM on Thursday, Dec. 3; Sunday, Dec. 6 through Thursday, Dec. 10; Sunday, Dec. 13 through Thursday, Dec. 17; and Monday, Dec. 28 and Tuesday, Dec. 29. The hours are 4:50PM to 10:30PM on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5; Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12; and Friday, Dec. 18 through Sunday, Dec. 27.