By Jesse Graham
RESIDENTS and shop-owners alike are being called on to deck out their houses and shopfronts with lights and Christmas decorations, with the Deck the Heales-ville competition coming around again.
The competition, which last year invited businesses along the main street in town to illuminate their shopfronts with lights and decorations, is being run again this year and expanded to include private residences.
Run by the Healesville Rotary and Lions clubs, the competition will have a first prize of $1000, two second-place $500 prizes and five third-place $100 prizes.
Lions club president Lindsay Frost said that including private residences’ Christmas lights was part of the feedback after last year’s competition.
“A lot of people with private residences were interested in coming in as well,” he said.
“Some people put in a really big effort.”
Mr Frost said 2015’s competition saw 23 entrants, which he hoped would increase to 50 this year, and emphasised that, when it came to judging, bigger was not always better.
“The reality of the way we’re going to be looking at it, from a judging group is we’re not looking for the most arty or the one with the most money spent on it – the two things we’re looking for is love and effort,” he said.
“Last year … some of the quirkier ones got a good hearing – what Clarence did was quite quirky and that’s what got them over the line at the end of it.
“I think one of the key things was, between four of the top five, there was only five points in it. It was literally that close.”
He encouraged businesses and residents to sign up for the competition and to brighten the town, which he said was appreciated by tourists who came through last December.
“The feedback was hugely positive, both from the shopkeepers themselves, who saw it as a great opportunity to showcase the town, and also the number of people who visited and thought it was fantastic to see that people had put the effort in, right the way through the town,” Mr Frost said.
Decorations must include lighting that is visible from the street and lit from sunset to 10.30pm each night from the start of the competition to Boxing Day.
All decorations must be safe and not put people at risk, such as by hanging down from public awnings at head-height.
Judges include Yarra Ranges councillor Fiona McAllister, two judges from Rotary, two judges from the Lions club, a mystery judge and this reporter.
Entry forms for the competition have to be returned to the Lions Den Op Shop at 183 Maroondah Highway, by 4pm on Thursday 1 December.
