01/03/2024
As our 18th year comes to an end (I can't believe it's been that long...), here are some dimmer box pictures showing where we were, and where we are, as well as some brief additional history!
In 2006, I programmed the first show using a stage lighting program (not made for automated light shows...) and had no visual help, just my imagination. The entire show was programmed before setting any lights up!
Using lights that my parents already owned, I also had to borrow 100% of the equipment needed to make this work. Not being able to use the modern equipment that actually brought in money, I was given the old stuff from the forgotten pre-DMX era.
(See photos for descriptions)
Eventually I was able to source some indoor only DMX dimmers, which had me borrowing equipment from 4 different businesses to make the show happen each year.
Somehow (it was a huge struggle at times), I was able to get equipment running 5 different communication protocols to work with together.
Analog, AMX-192 (4-pin connectors!), Sunplex, eventually DMX-512, and even later, Light-O-Rama. These technologies were never meant to work together, but somehow I managed to make it work! So many crazy adaptors and converters...
Today we have it narrowed down to just DMX-512 and Light-O-Rama! We also thankfully do not have to borrow equipment anymore, which saves a lot of time.
The show is so much bigger than I ever imagined it would be.
In the beginning with my parents, Bos Electronics (Butch Bos), Master Entertainment (Justin Miller), QC Haunted Forest for the extension cords (Dale Morris), and Bethany Baptist Church (Johnathan Condit), and the positive support from all of you, I was able to have a show when this was a relatively new concept.
Since 2018, the show has continued to grow even further in Hampton thanks to Al Miller! Many of the new additions each year come from his creativity and dedication to the show (and physical labor of building the new additions!). Plus continuous improvement of what we already have.
Each year the show gets bigger, brighter, longer and more complex, but also more organized and streamlined.
We look forward to continuing the tradition with you all and will see you in about 10 months for the 2024 Halloween show!!
I'm sure there will be some new and exciting things happening 😉
