To the editor:

With holidays approaching all of the country starting next week, and being so busy erecting my huge light display, I sort of lost track of time and wasn’t thinking about writing a letter to the editor to let people know there will be a white Christmas and with all the trimmings of my display of over 140,000 lights. My 32nd year and still counting. I’m 87 now, and there is a black cloud above telling me this may be my last year, whether or not I will be able to continue another year. The hillside of my display is getting steeper every year, it seems, or am I getting older? I have been working for 46 days on my display. I started on Oct. 1. I’ll be done in time to turn them on the night before Thanksgiving through Jan. 2 if the light company doesn’t shut off my electricity bill sooner. The cost of replacement bulbs is higher each year, and so far over $1,000. So all of your donations sure are appreciated, and without them I couldn’t continue this great display, and with no help from any towns nearby, it’s tough. Good thing my moral ethics of labor of doing this are a labor of love. And to think of all the thousands of people of all ages that, I, one man, can provide for everyone. I still talk to people from the whole Messenger area who haven’t seen my light display, but heard about it for years, but haven’t taken time to see it when the lights are on for 40 nights. They tell me they are too busy. Sorry, it’s  your loss not to see the greatest unique handmade light display in the world.

Hope to see you all this season and to see everything up close, you have my permission to get out and walk all over the hillside. And I’ll be there to greet you all.

From the old man on the hill.

Merlin L. Fort

Dakota City