GROTON, NY (607NewsNow) — Located at 411 Peru Road in Groton, John and Beth Scott put on a light show made up of over 40,000 pixel lights every holiday season, known as Scottland Lights.
With a big front yard, John started accumulating lights little by little and tries new effects every season. Each individual light is programmed in sync with Christmas music that can be heard by tuning your radio to 89.7 FM. About 40 to 60 hours of programming goes into a 3-minute song.
Each light show sequence takes 40 minutes, meaning the programming is a year-round affair. From Sunday to Thursday, the repeating shows run from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the shows run a little longer from 5 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. A former lineman, John Scott has a background in working with electronics and has accumulated 15 panels of pixel lights that he arranges into various shapes as part of the display. His wife Beth helps with the design and layout, but all of the programming and set up is done by him.
“It’s become a hobby for me, now we have just about everything we need and add and adjust a few little things each year. Being legally blind, I’d like to continue doing the shows for as long as I can. All of it is for charity, we try and raise money each year for various organizations in the area,” says Scott.
This year, Scottland Lights will be accepting monetary donations for the Groton Fire Department and Ambulance. Donations will be solely accepted through a lock box located on a candy cane pole that is part of the holiday display. Though not required, they are suggested.
“On a good year, we’ve collected more than $1,200 for charity. None of it goes to my wife or I, we want to make sure we do what we can for the community. Helping raise money for good causes and seeing a good turnout of people every year makes all of the work worth it.”
Having been married on Christmas Eve, John and Beth both value being able to spread Christmas cheer for anyone who stops by. On Christmas Eve, they dress up as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, handing out candy canes and taking photos with whoever wants them.
Scottland Lights will run light shows through January 3rd, 2026. To learn more about Scottland lights and when you can catch a show, visit their Facebook page here.
All photos from Scottland Lights Facebook page.
