Brandonite dons ‘Clark Griswold’ hat again

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This article was published 17/12/2024 (326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon’s Patrick Stewart is trying his best to live up to his nickname “Clark Griswold” again this year, with the thousands of sparkling holiday lights covering every inch of his house and yard located at 522 22nd St.

The decorations aim to raise awareness about the work done by a local animal rescue organization, as well as raise money for the non-profit.

“We have 18,000 lights, sprawled over our whole property, lawn and trees. Every possible section is decorated,” said Stewart. “And we also have 13 large character blowups, all animal related, one way or another.”

“Animals is our theme,” Stewart said, “including a small area where we’re taking food and cash donations.”

He hopes that his lighting initiative will help solicit donations for One at a Time Rescue — a non-profit, foster-based organization in Brandon — and wants the bright lights to “help spread the Christmas spirit.”

“We’ve been doing the light show for many, many years and it continues to get bigger and bigger over time,” said Stewart.

Stewart earned the Clark Griswold nickname from his neighbours, he told the Sun. Griswold is a well-known character from the 1989 holiday classic, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” The character spends much of the movie stapling strings of lights all over his house. When he finally gets them working properly, it causes a brief Chicago-wide blackout.

“My wife Amanda and I started to decorate during COVID,” Stewart said. “We were putting up a lot of lights because we had nothing better to do. And it got to the point where we were drawing crowds on the street in front of our house on a regular basis, and it just kind of snowballed from there,” he said laughing at the pun.

Stewart said he, his wife and their two teenage children have always been supporters of the animal rescue community. The family owns three cats, including a tabby cat from One at a Time Rescue, and another that Stewart said he found in a garbage bin.

Last year was the first time the family decided to “take that extra step and ask people to donate, right on site.”

In 2023, they raised about $1,100 in cash plus two massive boxes of pet food for Paws Crossed Animal Shelter and Adoption Centre in Westman.

Calynne Smith, a volunteer with One at a Time Rescue and someone who has fostered cats in the past, said any amount of money or awareness that is raised is “appreciated and needed.”

The non-profit doesn’t have a building, so it relies on volunteers to raise money for, and organize veterinary appointments, including spay and neuter procedures for its dogs and cats.

It also takes time for someone to update the roster of animals that have been rescued, match them with a foster home, and ultimately a “forever home,” said Smith.

“Some of those pets have special needs with certain foods,” she said. “That, and the vet visits get really expensive.”

“I’ve seen first-hand the good that the organization does, how overwhelmed they are needing volunteers. That’s why I started volunteering,” Smith said. “I just wanted to be part of it, since that’s where my cats came from.”

Smith is also Stewart’s neighbour, and said she loves how their street gets all the attention during the holidays and laughed when asked if she tries to keep up with the Stewarts’ thousands of lights.

“I do put up a few, just so I’m not the Grinch,” Smith said with a chuckle, “but I could never compete at this point. I’ve even thought about putting one of those just ditto signs in front of our house.”

“But it’s amazing what the Stewarts are doing. I’ve seen Patrick out there for hours and hours in the cold, putting up all the lights.”

“It’s wonderful when you look out there. It’s Christmas,” she said.

The Stewarts’ home will remain illuminated all this month, with all the donations collected until Dec. 31 being handed over to the non-profit.

In the meantime, said Stewart, he invites people to stop by or drive by. “We’ve had a few buses from the personal-care homes in town come for a look.”

“It’s great watching all the families on the front yard taking pictures,” Stewart said. “It’ll be non-stop over the next week or so. And it’s nice seeing everyone out and about, catching the Christmas spirit.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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