|
 Frequently Asked Questions |
| 1) |
How
do we get there? |
We are located at 5784 Ironstone Drive in the Cottonwood Subdivision in
Columbus, GA.
From Ft. Benning:
Take I-185 North
Merge
onto
US-80 East, Exit 10 toward Macon
Drive 6.5 Miles
Turn Right onto Flat Rock Road
(Spectrum Gas Station & Rite Aid on Corner)
Drive 0.7 Miles
Turn Right onto Flagstone Drive into the Cottonwood Plantation
Subdivision
At the Stop Sign, Tune your radio to 90.1 FM
Turn left onto Ironstone Drive
Drive about a tenth of a mile... you won't miss us!
From Downtown Columbus:
Take 2nd Avenue to GA-22 Conn N.
Merge
onto
US-80 East, Exit 10 toward Macon
Drive 9.6 Miles
Turn Right onto Flat Rock Road
(Spectrum Gas Station & Rite Aid on Corner)
Drive 0.7 Miles
Turn Right onto Flagstone Drive into the Cottonwood Plantation
Subdivision
At the Stop Sign, Tune your radio to 90.1 FM
Turn left onto Ironstone Drive
Drive about a tenth of a mile... you won't miss us!
From Auburn/Opelika:
Take I-85 North toward Atlanta
Merge onto US-280 East, Exit 62 toward Phenix City
Merge onto US-80 East via the ramp on the Left toward Columbus
Drive 12.5 Miles
Turn Right onto Flat Rock Road
(Spectrum Gas Station & Rite Aid on Corner)
Drive 0.7 Miles
Turn Right onto Flagstone Drive into the Cottonwood Plantation
Subdivision
At the Stop Sign, Tune your radio to 90.1 FM
Turn left onto Ironstone Drive
Drive about a tenth of a mile... you won't miss us!
From Lagrange, GA:
Take I-85 South
Merge onto US-80 East via Exit 10 toward Macon
Drive 7.2 Miles
Turn Right onto Flat Rock Road
(Spectrum Gas Station & Rite Aid on Corner)
Drive 0.7 Miles
Turn Right onto Flagstone Drive into the Cottonwood Plantation
Subdivision
At the Stop Sign, Tune your radio to 90.1 FM
Turn left onto Ironstone Drive
Drive about a tenth of a mile... you won't miss us!
From Pine Mountain, GA:
Take US-27/GA-1 into Columbus
(You'll drive about 20.9 miles from Callaway Gardens®)
Turn Left onto Grey Rock Road
Drive 4.9 Miles
Turn Right onto Warm Springs Road
Drive 0.7 Miles
Turn Left onto Flat Rock Road
Drive 0.7 Miles
Turn Left onto US-80 East / GA-22 East / JR Allen Pkwy
Drive 0.5 Miles
Turn Right onto Flat Rock Road
(Spectrum Gas Station & Rite Aid on Corner)
Drive 0.7 Miles
Turn Right onto Flagstone Drive into the Cottonwood Plantation
Subdivision
At the Stop Sign, Tune your radio to 90.1 FM
Turn left onto Ironstone Drive
Drive about a tenth of a mile... you won't miss us! |
| 2) |
How many lights do
you have? |
Approximately 26,000 on the roof
alone.
Approximately 90,000+ total. |
| 3) |
What type of
controllers are you using to operate the lights? |
The Ludy's Christmas Spectacular is
currently operating 168 LOR channels on a computer board, with the
capacity to control up to 90,000 lights. |
| 4) |
How long did it
take to construct the Santa, Sleigh, & Reindeer? |
1,008 Hours |
| 5) |
How many amps of
power are you using? |
200 amps |
| 6) |
How much wire does
it take to power the lights? |
4.0 miles |
| 7) |
What did you use to
transmit a FM station? |
Jerry converted an I-Pod
transmitter antenna to a larger wave length. This allowed
him to extend the broadcast area to just under 175 feet. |
|
8) |
Where did you pull
all of the power from? |
Jerry added receptacles under the eves
of the roof. The original power meter was replaced with a
400 amp meter box. Originally we had added sub-panel power
boxes, but converter over to a 200 amp main breaker, because of
the demand. |
| 9) |
When do you start
decorating the house? |
Jerry and Keith begin pulling the
lights out of storage in September. They begin the
decorating with the roof and work their way down. The roof
is finished by mid-October. Jerry and Keith both work very
hard putting the Christmas Spectacular together through the
grand lighting set for Thanksgiving each year. There is
also constant maintenance each evening of the Spectacular
replacing any blown bulbs or wires tangled from the weather. |
| 10) |
How long does it
take to remove and put all the lights away? |
The Ludy's usually start after New
Years Day. It takes approximately one month to remove the
main structure of lights. It then takes an additional one
month to pack all
the lights and decorations up and replace any worn or weathered
description labels. Jerry and Keith are typically completed by March. |
| 11) |
What other new
plans do you have for future Christmases? |
Each year, the current Christmas
Light Display is reviewed and analyzed. Ideas are then formed on
how to enhance the display for the next year. Jerry begins
working on the next year's Christmas display as early as
January. |
| 12) |
Do the neighbors
agree to all of the additional street traffic? |
Over the years the neighbors have
never voiced any negative comments about the traffic. The
neighbors enjoy the lights and look forward to seeing the house
decorated each year. |
| 13) |
How did you program
the lights with the music? |
Jerry utilizes special software
that enables him to tap out the beats to each portion of the
music. The music sequences convert to many styles of
motions allowing the lights to perform in step with the beats. |
|
14) |
Where did you get
the idea to computerize your lights? |
Jerry, Edith, and Keith are members of a special
group of Christmas Light "geeks", called
Planet Christmas. The
organization consists of many Christmas light enthusiasts that
enjoy creating a winter wonderland of lights which they and
others enjoy watching. The organization holds conventions every
two years to gather new ideas, view products, and to learn more
about various decorating ideas to enhance lighting displays. |
