There’s a special tradition in Cincinnati as the winter holidays approach. But you won’t find this one downtown, at the Cincinnati Zoo or Kings Island.
It happens right in Jason Dunham’s front yard, just after Thanksgiving.
First, it’s two 4-foot red candles with blazing yellow flames. Next, a tan grinning gingerbread man. Then, Santa’s round face, his cheeks frozen with laughter.
Dunham gently carries these and other holiday surprises from behind his house in Stonelick Township in Clermont County to his driveway, where he evaluates their condition and begins organizing them per his master plan.
After all, he’s got one of the area’s largest collections of vintage blow molds to prepare for his annual homegrown holiday light display, and his drive-by visitors are eager for a peek.
“I don’t do it for anything but the satisfaction of seeing a smile on everybody’s faces,” Dunham says. “I am the ‘crazy light guy.’”
Find Dunham’s holiday display on Aulen Road in Stonelick Township near Owensville.
Read more about Dunham in CityBeat’s cover story.
