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Lighting the night for a cause in Beloit

Photo

Photo by Terry Mayer

The Hasse home in Beloit Township is illuminated with 30,000 lights, synchronized to a low-power FM radio channel. Visitors also can donate to Bosom Buddies, a group that supports women battling cancer.

Bryan Hasse began setting up this year’s holiday lights display in September. Terry Mayer photo.

BELOIT TOWNSHIP — Bryan Hasse has made it an annual tradition to brighten up his neighborhood during the holiday season. And this year, he is doing it for a good cause.

Hasse, who works as an officer for the Town of Beloit Police Department, has installed a Christmas light show at his home at 806 E. Azalea Terrace in the town of Beloit. The display features 30,000 moving lights synchronized to Christmas music, with all the work being done by a computer. The elaborate display includes lighted Christmas trees, candy canes, poles, arches and stars.

Hasse is using this year’s display to help raise money for Bosom Buddies, a support group for area women who have been diagnosed with cancer.

The light show can be viewed from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily through Jan. 2, weather permitting. Visitors can tune into 106.9 FM to listen to the Christmas music.

The group designs “comfort baskets” for female cancer patients who have undergone surgery, sponsors cancer retreat programs, provides financial assistance to patients undergoing cancer treatment and provides information about outreach programs to cancer patients and their families.

“There are two or three songs from the Trans Siberian Orchestra. We have songs from ‘Polar Express.’ My kids get involved, and they do a couple of announcements...,” Hasse said. “(People) just pull up in their car and tune in their car radio to the station, and they can hear the music and watch the lights.”

Hasse has placed a box on his lawn to collect donations, or people can donate by going online to www.azalealights.net.

“We didn’t start this to figure out a way to make money for people,” Hasse said. “It was just for pure joy and entertainment. But since we’ve been doing it for a few years, we do get quite a bit of traffic to see it. We thought, ‘Let’s see if we can help out a local organization.’”

Wilma Jensen of Bosom Buddies said she is grateful that Hasse has decided to use the light display to raise money for the organization.

Read the complete story in the e-edtion of Stateline News.

Watch and contribute

-- View a video of Hasse’s lights:www.Facebook.com/StatelineNews.

-- Contribute to Bosom Buddies:www.azalealights.net

-- See the lights: A map to the lights is at www.azalealights.net