Giant Lawn Ornaments Light Up At Night

Giant Lawn Ornaments Light Up At Night AG WORLD Ag World 20-6-19 Elmwood, Ill., farmer Gene Wilson has launched a booming sideline business making giant lawn ornaments out of 1/2-in. dia. thin-wall steel conduit. "We custom-build full-size, 3-D silhouettes of everything from reindeer to tractors and combines to a 28-piece Nativity set," says Wilson of Christmas Lane Farms. "They're far more detailed than anything else on the market. And they're big so thieves can't throw them in the trunk of a car." Among the Christmas ornaments he builds are 6-ft. tall angels, 10-ft. tall shepherds, and a standard 3-piece (Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph) Nativity set with a 6-ft. tall kneeling Joseph. (Sells for $750.) Pieces of conduit are formed on pipe benders and welded together. Ornaments are lit by miniature Christmas lights spaced 1 1/2-in. apart and taped with clear electrical tape to the pipe. Angels, for example, are illuminated with 350 to 400 lights, while the 3-piece Nativity set is lit up by 850 lights. "Right now we're working on a 28-piece Nativity set, complete with camels and wise men, that'll take us three years to complete," says Wilson. "Everything we do is strictly to the customer's specifications." Along with Christmas decorations, Wilson makes tractors and cars for area implement and automobile dealerships. For example, he's now working on a 3/4 size 4-WD Agco Star tractor for a dealer that'll be lighted by 2,000 lights. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gene Wilson, Christmas Lane Farms, 8260 North McClellan Rd., Elmwood, Ill. 61529 (ph 309 742-8151).

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