By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Gold Eagle Security in LaPlace will once again be lighting up the holidays this year with a display that is even bigger than anything the business has done before.

This year, the big tree in front of the building on Carrollwood Drive will be all lit up not only with thousands of colorful lights on strands, but it will also be outfitted with 20 special “drip” light sticks, which seem to be the current craze in light displays.

Gold Eagle will kick off the Christmas season in when it debuts this year’s light show tonight at 6:30 p.m.

The Zaidain family, which owns and operates Gold Eagle Security, has been lighting up the corner of Carrollwood and Fairway since they bought the building 10 years ago. Three years ago, music was added to the mix, an addition that made the whole display that much more complicated.

She said all the lights had to be switched to LEDs, which were still not that common three years ago. Furthermore, the new lights are more expensive than their incandescent predecessors.

“We had all kinds of problems last year,” said Bobbie Zaidain. “This year’s been a lot smoother.”

For Zaidain, however, it’s just the natural progression for a diversion that has evolved into a massive undertaking.

“It’s actually grown to be a whole thing in and of itself,” she said.

She said last year Gold Eagle purchased a storage shed to put behind the main office. The shed, although it does house a lawnmower, is mostly filled with Christmas decorations.

She went to explain that the family spends about five weeks per year getting the grounds ready and setting up the display, but for them, the effort is worth it.

“Christmas has always been one of our favorite times,” said Zaidain. “It just brings the whole family together.”

She said her husband, Vic Zaidain, sort of started the tradition many years ago when he used to set up light displays at their home that would blow the house’s circuits. The building from which they run Gold Eagle is wired to handle a bit more current although she did have to raise its capacity.

And that’s no wonder when one considers that each individual arch on the front lawn, of which there are six, contains 2,700 lights.

Bobbie Zaidain said the lights are controlled by 277 channels. Add to that the thousands of feet of wires used to string the whole thing together, and the operation gets pretty complicated. That is the reason the “rail” lights need to be set up each year. One errant step could knock out a whole section of the display.

Zaidain said the family has spent about $20,000 on the display over the years, but the price tag is a small compared to the joy the lights bring.

“The minute the lights come on, the kids start squealing,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Gold Eagle Security is located at 1956 Carrollwood Drive. The light show will run every evening, 6:30-9:30 p.m., through Jan. 2. The display will feature two different 12-minute programs.