Residents of the Municipality of Mansfield-et-Pontefract went all out with the inflatable Christmas characters, creative lighting arrangements and larger-than-life nativity scenes this holiday season, with the hopes of landing a top spot in the municipality’s annual holiday house decorating contest.
Some 90 homes were considered in the first round of the contest, which were then narrowed down to 30 by the municipal committee made up of councillors Daphne Laycock, Sébastien Denault, Colin LeBrun and mayor Sandra Armstrong.
The 30 finalists were then handed over to a panel of five independent judges for deliberations, and the top five winners were announced on Facebook on Jan. 8.
Judging the competition were Le Droit editor François Carrier, Fort-Coulonge mayor Pierre Cyr, the Arsenault and Tellier families (residents of Mansfield), SADC business advisor Tracy Francoeur, and Pierre St-Cyr.
In first place was the home of Steven Dyelle and Josée Duval, in second place was the home of Gontran and Gaétanne Leguerrier, in third was the home of Delmer Lacroix and Julie Fortin, in fourth was the home of Thomas Desjardins and Chantal Dubé, and in fifth place was the home of Darcy and Nicole Bélair.
For first place winner Dyelle, going all out with Christmas decorations is a family tradition.
“Way back when I was a kid my grandmother used to decorate and go all out too, and she would win the competitions too,” he said.
Dyelle started his own decorating tradition with his wife Duval some 20 years ago, when their kids were young.
“Me and my wife both love what it looks like when we light it up the first time. The face on my kids is just priceless,” Dyelle said, adding the process of setting up the decorations is no small feat.
They start setting up in early November after they take down their equally extensive Halloween decorations, and finish in time for the Mansfield Santa Claus parade.
He said one of his favourite decorations from over the years was a homemade wooden and fully-functional ferris wheel he and Duval crafted to carry a full cast of Christmas characters including an elf, a snowman, Santa Claus, and a reindeer.
While the ferris wheel was out of commission this year due to a faulty motor, Duval said he still gets a kick out of the “big big blow up ones”, and was happy to have his efforts recognized in this year’s competition.
The following residents also won prizes for participating in the contest, selected by random draw: Patrick Bastien, Lise Vallières, Madeleine and Neil Boisvert, Lucie Bélair and Jerry Lavigne, Cynthia Vaillancourt and Martin Lavigne, Annik Plante and Charles Gallant, Louise Lapierre, John Marion, Roxanne Ladouceur and Rick Cahill, and Cécile Boisvert and Jacques Bélair.
Winners received prize money made available from the municipality’s cultural budget.
