neighborhood light display with full-circuit roller coaster

Charlotte, NC just had it's first white Christmas in 63 years as many southern cities did. So, in all the "excitement" Christmas evening, me and a friend decided to go see this light display a couple miles away that had been getting a lot of attention on the news.

Thankfully, the snow had just started and the roads were still drivable. This display was just phenomenal! A working, full-circuit coaster, a drop tower, carousel, a track along the roof that Santa and his reindeer travel. Just so much fun to watch, especially while it was snowing.

I took some iphone video so nothing really professional here, but still very legible. You could even tune in to an FM station to hear synchronized music. I didn't realize a "house" could by airwaves like that. The station fades out after a couple blocks though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUbGYwg0w3M

I love the Penguin drop tower.

The carousel horses don't go up and down?? How lame. :(

;)

Very cool.

I've seen a similar display up this way, in Green (just south of Akron) the last few years. Although it didn't have the drop tower, it did feature the exact same roller coaster and merry-go-round, along with a matching Ferris wheel. Haven't been down that way to see if it's up again this year.

That bunny hill (or perhaps it should be called a 'penguin hill'?) looks like it offers a substantial jolt of air time. :)

Hey, fellow Charlottean here. Where is this display? What street?

Where was the intamin launched coaster??? Seriously cool though... I wish I had that much frontage to do something like that.

john13601 said:
Hey, fellow Charlottean here. Where is this display? What street?

It is the corner house on Mammoth Oaks Lane & Creola Dr, near the Providence Rd & Sardis Rd intersection. I am not sure when they are taking it down but I plan to go back sometime this week.

Looks awesome! Is the coaster something they have purchased or built?

I sent the video link to a bud who lives in Gastonia..he said this display is in McAdenville, about 5 minutes from his place. He said it's known as "Christmastown" and t-shirts are sold year-round.

Umm, your bud is dead wrong. This is not McAdenville. I explained where it was a couple post up.

You don't suppose there could be more than one of this type display around the country, do you? :)

I'm still trying to sort out that roller coaster - was it designed with those lights or did it have some creative engineering? I am curious if they electrified one rail with positive and the other rail with negative or some type of cord in the middle on a swivel... Getting my plans for next year in order! ;-)

^^^^^^^^^ I live by that house in Green. Coaster was up again this year. It's been up all 3 holidays that I've been living here.

So if more than one location has this light-up roller coaster, is it something one can purchase? Are there plans to build it somewhere on the internet? Are all of these people copying off of each other somehow?

Is the coaster a "clone". lol

Oh God, are we going to debate whether it counts as two credits if you see the same coaster lights display in more than one yard?? :)

Lol... I'm just curious as to where this coaster display comes from.

LostKause said:
So if more than one location has this light-up roller coaster, is it something one can purchase? Are there plans to build it somewhere on the internet? Are all of these people copying off of each other somehow?

Is the coaster a "clone". lol

I've spent my lunch hour looking about for this on the internet but haven't found it, I've even checked Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth Michigan and they don't stock it online - although I bet they have it in a catalog.

Ruprect, can you confirm that the Green roller coaster is identical to the one in this video? I think it is, but then again I've only seen it a few times and it's been a year since.

I heard that next year, all these houses will have identical WindSeeker displays!

Hope they're ready for the FunTime lawsuit. :)