On Dec. 10, 1959, Anthony Furio flipped a switch and 2,600 clear blue lights illuminated the night.
My dad, Tony, had planned and worked on his display for two years. Our house was on the corner of 43rd and Lavina in northwest Vancouver. The town was pretty small in those days (only 40,000 or so), and word spread quickly that there was a beautiful house of blue lights. Crowds started to show up, and my dad was thrilled.
There was a shadow box of the three wise men on camels, carolers and music, as well. All the lights inside our house were turned off and the main question asked was, “Do you eat and live in the dark?” The answer was yes!
In the ensuing years, the crowds at Christmas got so big that there was a cop directing traffic. They came from Portland and Longview. My dad was out every night meeting and greeting.
The public utility district ran an ad with a picture of the house encouraging the use of electricity. The picture ran in The Columbian, of course.
One evening about four or five years into the display, there was a knock at the door. A young couple with a baby wanted to tell their story. It seems their first date was spent in front of our house looking at the lights. A year later, the young man proposed in front of our Christmas display. Two years later, they came to our door with their baby in their arms. My dad just about busted his buttons! I’ll never forget how thrilled he was.
The lights went on every Dec. 10 (my parents’ wedding anniversary) from 1959 to 1966. My dad became ill in 1967 and passed away in early 1968. For several years after, people still called or came to the door asking where the blue lights were. Even today there will be a longtime local person who will ask me about “the house of blue lights.”
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