By Benji Bergstrand

The Gift of Giving light display in the parking lot across from Harmon Field has been delighting children of all ages for generations. With over 10,000 lights, a rocking soundtrack by Manheim Steamroller (used with permission), and the heart-warming story of a tree hoping to be picked as a Christmas tree. This display is a can’t-miss tradition for many area families. 

The care and maintenance for a community icon of this scale takes a lot of work, and that effort has been generously donated for the last three years by the electrical apprentice program at GROB Systems in Bluffton. American Legion members had been caring for the display previous to that.  “The year prior to us taking over responsibility for the system, I spent a few hours with Fred Rodabaugh and Larry Core to see how they and the other American Legion members went about the setup,” said Electrical Training Instructor Evan Steiner, “They provided me with a circuit diagram and labeled pictures of the display showing the relative location of the trees, animals, Frosty, etc..”

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A display this large that is exposed to two months of the worst weather Ohio has to offer each year is bound to have some recurring issues and the GROB apprentices have seen plenty of that. “It's getting to be a pretty old display, which means we're dealing with rust, corroded wires and changes that have been made but not documented,” Steiner said.

Steiner and the apprentices have even been able to make improvements to the display. “This year, in an effort to make future setups easier, we swapped out most all of the lights with newer LED equivalents, replaced wire nut connections with watertight automotive style connectors, and labeled connection points so it's easier to take off individual items and fix them,” Steiner said. 

After testing each circuit individually and repairing those that don’t work, the apprentices and instructors move the display slowly from its off-season home in a hangar at the Bluffton Airport to its location on College Ave. across from Harmon Field. The display is so large that scaffolding is needed to get the display fully set up. 

The display is first lit up during Bluffton’s Blaze of Lights and continues to draw visitors throughout the holiday season. 

For many of the GROB apprentices the importance of the display comes into clearer focus once they see its popularity. “The majority of our apprentices come from various towns around Bluffton and have never seen the show. After being involved in the setup they often make plans to bring their family/friends over to see it,” Steiner said. “While setting it up, the students often only think of it as another job to do, albeit a fun one. Later when they go see the show and see how many cars are parked there, they get a sense of its value to the community.”

For Steiner the community connection makes all the effort worth it. “At GROB, we're always trying to help our apprentices gain a well-rounded skill set. Being involved in community-related projects such as this helps to showcase what they've learned about electrical systems, but more importantly it gives them a way to give back and inspire others.”