Holiday tribute to man's father inspires neighborhood

About 40 of David Wilson's neighbors on Fairlane Drive in Cape Girardeau have come together with holiday decorations to honor his father, even though none of them ever had met Jerry Wilson.

"It's a nice neighborhood group effort," said Joyce Miller at 2548 Ford Drive, which abuts Fairlane Drive.

David Wilson went door to door with the idea, inspired by a similar creation from his father, Jerry, when David was a child in the mid-1970s.

For a few years, Dorothy Street and small section of West Mount Drive were Candlestick Lane -- many of the houses adorned with the 3-foot-tall, red-and-white plastic electric candles. When Jerry Wilson put out the Candlestick Lane sign on his property, the automatic response from neighbors was to begin putting out the candlesticks.

"My dad was a huge Christmas fan," David Wilson said. "He put seven trees in his house."

Jerry Wilson died in June at age 77. David Wilson thought one of the best ways to honor his father was to resurrect one of his Christmas creations for a new generation. David's sons -- Lane, Luke and Levi -- are all older now, Levi the youngest at 15.

David said Candlestick Lane has reinvigorated some of the Christmas magic for his family.

"They ask every day, 'Did somebody else get a candle?'" David said.

Acquiring the candles -- not as en vogue a decoration as in years past -- was more difficult than persuading neighbors to participate. David had to go as far away as Marion, Illinois, to buy candles he eventually sold for a modest price to his neighbors. A neighbor went as far as Poplar Bluff, Missouri, looking for the candles.

"It was amazing how many people were excited about it," David said. "I let everybody know it was about my dad. Everybody has rallied around it now."

Candlestick Lane has reached neighbors across demographics. Stephanie Pledger lives on the opposite side of Fairlane Drive from David but is about as dedicated to decorating for the holidays as Jerry Wilson, with a plethora of candy canes and lights in outdoor decorations.

"We're heavy-duty into Christmas decorations," Pledger's daughter, Jennifer Campbell, said.

Brenda McCowan, who lives closer to David at 1201 Fairlane Drive, has more modest decorations, but the candlestick is one of them.

"When I knew it was for the neighborhood, it was not problem," McCowan said. "It was easy to do."

Candlestick Lane also is working across cultural boundaries. Nearby residents Amjid and Nusrat Manzoor are Muslims, but they participating with what would be presumed as Christmas decorations because Nusrat said it's bringing the neighborhood together.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 2500 Fairlane Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO

2548 Ford Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO

1201 Fairlane Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO

2563 Fairlane Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO