Sunset Drive in Merced is merry and bright

A spectacular display known as "Lights on Sunset" continues to draw dozens of onlookers to a small North Merced street.

Multiple homes strewn with Christmas lights on Sunset Drive, off El Portal Drive and G Street, can be seen blinking in sync to holiday-themed rock music during the annual Black Friday block party.

"What wouldn't be inspiring about this?" asked Michelle Ryan, 41, who recently joined her neighbor in setting out the electrified decorations. "It was just so much fun that we wanted to join in, just to expand it," she said. "It's a nice neighborly thing to do."

The scene is a menagerie of glowing lawn ornaments: candy canes, miniature Christmas trees, 15-foot pinwheels, and, of course, reindeer pulling Santa in a sleigh.

Jena Libecki, 49, said her family started the tradition about five years ago, after seeing a television commercial in which a house had lights that flickered in rhythm to music. "I've always begged for Christmas lights. And one year, my husband, John, gave me Christmas lights, and it just kind of ballooned from there," she said. "(The neighbors) just jumped in with us a couple of years back, and it helped a lot."

To complete the effect, the Libecki family bought a low-power transmitter and started broadcasting music to go along with the lights. They have a sign telling onlookers what station to tune in so they can listen from their cars while enjoying the spectacle.

"We can transmit up to a certain amount of footage away from the house," she said. "It's legal. And we put our own music on there. We play Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We have Linkin Park, Catalyst. That's my favorite. And we have a hard rock version of "Carol of the Bells."

"We have one really slow 'Silent Night.' It's really slow and really pretty. That's your grandma's Christmas music. And then all the rest is hard rock," she added.

Last year on Black Friday, Libecki estimated there were about 50 people gathered in the street, plus people in cars and even local fire engine crews that came out for the show.

"Each element blinks to the music. It's a dancing house. They're sequenced to the music. And that's what I do on the computer all year long," she said. "These mini-trees out here -- there's 25 in our yard, 20 in theirs -- they flow back and forth, they can chase each other all over the place. We're well over 50,000 lights."

Libecki said she "bribes" her neighbors with homemade goodies to avoid complaints. But the response has been nothing but positive. "We give them pumpkin bread and jam, homemade jam. Just so I can thank them for putting up with us," she said. "And you know what they all say every year when I do that? They thank us. And here I am thinking I'm imposing on them."

Reporter Joshua Emerson Smith can be reached at (209) 385-2486 or jsmith@mercedsunstar.com