Fresno’s 68-Year-Old Tradition : Christmas Tree Lane Lighting Up the Holidays

With the flip of a switch, Russell and Alex Taylor brought the holiday spirit to a darkened stretch of old Fresno in the form of a thousand tiny colored lights.

The Taylor brothers are continuing a 68-year tradition that has evolved into Christmas Tree Lane, a 1.6-mile section of prestigious homes graced with 25,000 brilliant bulbs dangling from magnificent cedars.

“Sometimes we argue over who gets to turn on the lights,” said Russell, 11.

“It’s great, something we look forward to every year, turning on the Christmas Tree Lane lights,” said Alex, 13.

All Types Visit

Behind the boys stretch two lanes of cars, bumper to bumper, creeping slowly forward into a tunnel of colored lights and holiday decorations. Displays in front of the estate-size homes range from the comical--a plywood cutout of Mr. Potato Head with a red Santa Claus cap--to the traditional--a Nativity scene jazzed up with yellow neon halos. Setup for the elaborate display starts in October.

The lane attracts all types of visitors: a tour bus from nearby Lemoore Naval Air Station, pickups sagging with loads of teen-agers, dented vans, shiny BMWs, wide-eyed infants and even a few criminals.

“Already this year we’ve lost $200 in vandalism,” Alex lamented.

Invariably the baby Jesus is kidnaped from Nativity scenes along the lane. Thugs also deface Santa Claus cutouts with spray paint and smash light bulbs.

Unusual Scene

The inner city invades this serene well-groomed neighborhood in other ways. On one foggy night, a group of teen-agers was spotted huddled under a big pine tree, drinking beer and smoking marijuana, gazing at the lights shrouded in a thick mist.

A group of born-again Christians worked the lane on another night, preaching the gospel and offering Bible tracts to anyone who rolled down a window. One young man strode up and down the lane with a bullhorn shouting “Praise Jesus!”

Last year, a Fresno rock ‘n’ roll radio station conducted a live remote broadcast from the lane, much to the chagrin of neighbors.

“We discourage anybody trying to take commercial advantage of the lane. We’re very strict about it,” said Robert Vartan, current chairman of the volunteer Christmas Tree Lane committee.

Alex Taylor said, “People ask us, ‘Why do we keep doing it?’ There may be a couple people out there who want to ruin it, but there are thousands who really love it.”

People can cruise Christmas Tree Lane free, but the lane relies solely upon community support. So, bills and coins are plunked into a plywood Christmas tree near the end of the drive, featuring a lighted panel that blinks “thank you” after each donation.

It costs about $25,000 a year to pay the power bill, hire an electrician to string the lights through the trees, wire the outdoor sound system and replace burned-out bulbs, said David Taylor, one of the volunteer “lane keepers.” Taylor, whose sons were flipping the switches on this chilly December night, is responsible for keeping an eye out for problems and to call an electrician if the lights go out.

The tradition started in 1920 when Mrs. W. P. Winning decorated a lone cedar tree in memory of a son who had died. Neighbors joined in decorating their yards with lighted displays, uncommon at the time, and within a decade Christmas Tree Lane achieved a reputation as one of the nation’s most beautiful Christmas displays.

Alex and Russell Taylor think it’s getting better, too.

‘This Year Is Best’

“I think this year is the best,” Alex said. “People put out more effort this year.”

But Robert Vartan longed for one decoration that would be the frosting on this magical stretch of roadway.

“It would be so neat if it snowed,” said Vartan, rushing around to set up the Christmas collection tree. “The lane would look. . . . “ His voice drops off, in awe of the vision.