By Staff
Jason Cannon
Franklin County Times
When it comes to Christmas spirit, there's only one person who rivals Santa Claus: Franklin County resident Bob Keating.
Sure, Santa gives out millions of toys to children across the globe, but you can bet Keating's holiday light display is bigger.
With more than two miles of extension cords and more than one million lights, Keating puts on one of the largest and brightest Christmas displays in North Alabama.
Last year's display was the Keating's largest to date and it will remain the largest. That is until they flip the switch on their 2007 efforts this evening.
"We enjoy this," Bob said of the Keating's holiday efforts. "We try to add a little more to it every year."
This year, six more inflatable holiday displays have been added along with 15 more signs.
A 20 foot North Pole – complete with Santa Claus – has been added as have several 10-foot candy canes and 35 more Christmas trees.
If that weren't enough, Keating has added somewhere between 250,000 to 750,000 more Christmas lights.
So, why the mega-watt display? Keating says the answer is fairly simple.
"I didn't have a real Christmas when I was growing up," Keating said. "I guess I'm just making up for my childhood. And I love kids. It's great when your out and someone says, 'Hey, I took my kids to see your house five times last year.' I really enjoy that."
Keating has a small army of generators and additional power supplies to run his light show.
"There's enough electricity there to run a small town," he said.
The Keating's lighting display will begin tonight at 6 p.m. It will be on display each night from 6 to 11 p.m. Their home is located on Highway 89. Motorists can take Highway 243 to mile marker 8, turn left on 79 and left on 89.