Michael and Janet Poulimas had an audio recorder with them whenever they traveled during the past year.
They never knew when they would be able to get clips for the newest segment to the Christmas song and light display they have done at their Sharpsville home for the past four years.
“We Are the World” is one of three new songs featured during the approximately 45-minute show that led to an estimated 5,000 people parking in front of the couple’s home last year.
Beginning Saturday, vehicles can stop in front of their house at 422 W. Meridian St. in Sharpsville and watch as 100,000 Christmas lights illuminate in-sync with music broadcast from a short-wave transistor inside their home.
The shows run 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
There is no charge, but the Poulimases collect donations for We Care in Kokomo and the Tipton Jubilee Christmas. The show last year raised $4,740.
A new theme this year emphasizes the message that the holiday is celebrated around the world.
“We’re just trying to get out the message that Christmas is celebrated worldwide because of the birth of Christ,” Michael Poulimas said.
He would carry a recorder with him as often as he could. And if he encountered someone from another country or culture, he had them say “Merry Christmas” in their native language.
He was able to gather more than 20 people saying the phrase, and the recordings play during the “We Are the World” segment of the show.
The audio inserts are the second addition to the show that Poulimas has edited in.
Last year, the Sharpsville couple took a collection of U.S. veterans’ recorded stories and placed them in a military tribute.
The returning feature is one that will fit into a schedule the Poulimases have adjusted since 2010.
Instead of playing the same show every night, some songs change depending on the night of the week.
“We found that people come back many times,” Poulimas said. “That way, if they come back a different day, they’ll see something different.”
Some of the favorites, such as “Christmas with a Capital C” by Go Fish, will play every night, while popular groups, such as Trans-Siberian Orchestra, have different songs rotated throughout the week.
Groups from around the community will join in.
Sharpsville First United Methodist Church, which is about a block to the east, will pass out treats.
And Santa Claus will make a few appearances. Children can have their photos taken with him, and their parents can download the pictures off the show’s website, www.sharpsvillelights.com.
The Poulimases started the lights show hoping their neighbors would join in. After four years, they have had some success.
“Our neighbor, who never, ever, ever puts lights up has been putting them up,” Michael Poulimas said.
• Daniel Human is the Kokomo Tribune business reporter. He can be reached at 765-454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.
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