A half-century old local tradition is well known for spreading Christmas cheer: the Overly’s light display. The non-profit organization just rang in its 25th year of being located in the Westmoreland County Fairgrounds and has a history that spans back far past that.
Created by Harry Overly in 1956, the lights were always set up around his property in elegant arrays as he allowed the public to enjoy the scenery and Christmas merriment.
“He was always someone who was filled with the passion of spreading his joy to others,” said Stephanie Tomasic, the current executive director of Overly’s Country Christmas. “His love of Christmas, charity and the public urged him to continue to expand his displays and works for all to see.”
As time went on, his displays became more elaborate. Overly was one of the first individuals to incorporate animated light displays into his works. Many of his creations, including a wooden, 15 feet replica of a carousel draped in moving lights, still stand today.
Tomasic said that Overly’s works inspired many people. People enjoyed his displays so much that they began to make monetary donations towards his operations.
Overly dismissed giving any beneficiaries personal money and instead decided to give all proceeds to Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital. This love to give back to the community inspired many people to volunteer to aid his cause, including Tomasic.
“Overly came to me in a time when I needed it most,” she commented. “As my father just passed away and I was just exploring the fiscal realm, Overly was the one who stayed by my side and offered to employ me.”
Similar to how help to run Overly’s lights display grew, the amount of volunteers became so large that they needed to get a larger home for more people to enjoy the lights.
Within the 1990s, Overly’s transitioned to Idlewild Park in Ligonier followed by Westmoreland County Fairgrounds, where it is stationed today.
Before he died, Overly chose to permanently install a nonprofit organization, Overly’s Country Christmas, to continue on his work when he would pass away around five years later.
Tomasic explained the condition of Overly’s today and the ways that they prepare for the holiday season.
“We always take the summer to begin setting up the scenes for the fall and winter seasons. Around seven to 25 regular employees come to assist in making up Overly’s the way that it is,” commented Tomasic.
Originally, the light display amassed a staggering total of over 2 million bulbs. With the passage of time came the transitioning to LEDs which emit a brighter light, bringing their display down to 500,000 bulbs.
Tomasic explained the value of sticking to tradition in saying, “There are many high-tech variations of the work that we do that we could easily buy, but we choose to maintain work that is minimalistic and true to the roots of Overly’s creations.”
All of the proceeds generated by Overly’s Country Christmas now go to “Family Moments” and Tickets for Kids, both programs that operate in a similar manner to Make-A-Wish.
Tomasic stated that she is very content in the job that she is at. “This is a great community and great county. I hope that we are able to make enough money to help those in need and immortalize the tradition and ideals of Harry Overly for years to come.”
Rio Scarcelli, Editor in Chief