Unique home wins Christmas lights contest

Paul and Valerie Sterling impressed the judges with their brightly lit home all synchronized to music.

In a word, it was unique.

It also speaks to the competition level in the first Colusa Lions Club Home Christmas Decoration Contest as the Sterlings didn't crack the top three.

The top honor, and the $200 gift certificate for local stores, went to Bill Sterk with his wonderful display at 1221 Jay St.

Second place, and the $150 gift certificate, went to Nancy English Savage a couple blocks down the street from Sterk, at 1057 Jay St.

Third place, and a $100 gift certificate, went to Dan Kiely, at 254 Allen Circle.

There were nine entries in all for the contest, which was co-sponsored by the Colusa County Sun-Herald.

The judges, all independent of the Lions Club and the Sun-Herald, toured the homes on Thursday and made their tough decisions.

Organizers hope this will become a yearly contest with more and more entries.

In the meantime, the Lions Club encourages people to drive around town and enjoy all the homes that are lit up for the holidays.

And the Sun-Herald encourages home owners to take their own photos and send them for display on the paper's website, www.colusa-sun-herald.com.

Editor's note: Due to a technical problem during the judging process, the photo of the winning home was not available for this edition. A new photo will be taken and featured in Wednesday's Colusa County Sun-Herald.