Douglas County Halts Light Show, Citing Safety, Permitting Issues

A local holiday tradition has been discontinued unceremoniously - but not, Nick Nelson hopes, permanently.

Nelson's annual computerized Christmas light show returned to East Wenatchee on November 30, with more than 60,000 lights bedazzling the night sky. What started as a modest, inconspicuous display in 2014 has since grown exponentially.

But Nelson says that overlapping factors put a stop to the Christmas fun, at least for now.

Get our free mobile app

"The property [Annie's Fun Farm] is zoned light commercial," he explains. "There are certain things you're allowed to do under light commercial zoning," and even if your chosen activity is deemed kosher, "you have to apply for a permit to do it on the property." Nelson says it's not possible to secure a permit for a light show specifically.

About two weeks ago, Nelson says, he was approached by Douglas County and told to ixnay his stoplights, which the county insists are too luminous and a hindrance to aviation safety. (Annie's Fun Farm is close to Pangborn Memorial Airport.)

"[The county] was like, 'We're willing to let it continue until the end of the season, but you can't use the lights at all," Nelson says.

This was followed on Tuesday morning by an email from Heather Mauseth, Douglas County Building Official and Fire Marshal. The missive was addressed to Annie's owner. It had to do with mud and debris buildup on Grant Road, plausibly generated by the light show.

"We knew about the mud getting on the road," Nelson says. "It froze and caused an accident, which [the county] considered a nuisance and safety concern. They told us we had to shut it down immediately."

"I get that we're not 100 percent in the right," he concedes. "We don't have a permit; we're on commercial property. But at the same time, if mud's that big an issue, why not give us 24 hours to get the mud off the road? Or do it yourself and send us a bill?"

"It just seems very unreasonable and, obviously, I'm devastated." Mind you, Annie's has been hosting the light show since 2022; it's not clear why these issues are just now coming to the fore. We await further comment from Mauseth.

So what's next for Nelson Family Lights? Nelson was already planning to relocate in the very near future, but this latest injunction by the county certainly complicates things.

Whatever lies in store for the show, this year is "shot," Nelson says matter-of-factly.

"It takes two months to set up a show! It's a huge production, and even if you had two acres to let us throw the show on, how do I get power there? We spent $4K to put in a 200 amp service where the show is now, and no matter where we go, we're going to have to pay that again. There's a lot that goes into this."

"When [the county] originally talked me about the spotlights, they said, 'We enjoy your show and want to bring our kids to it. Why don't you come have a meeting with us and you can look at where else in Douglas County you can have the show?'" Nelson was flustered, he says, by this line of thinking.

"I'm like, what reality are you living in? I can't just throw a dart at a map and all of a sudden put a show there." Click here to read his written take.