A family in Broken Arrow is lighting up their block, blowing out the competition, as they compete on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight to win the coveted Light Fight trophy and $50,000 prize.
The Slankard family has worked for years to be featured on this competition show, fueled by persistence and passion.
Robert Slankard recalls the moment everything changed:
“I’d just gotten a knee replacement June 2022, and had been home about two weeks when my wife called and said, ‘Hey, someone from The Great Christmas Light Fight is texting or calling us.’ And I thought it was one of my evil friends because I have evil friends like that, that would do that. And she said we found out the next day that it was the real thing. I remember jumping and saying, ‘I can do this; I can do this on this knee.’ We almost made it, but I think COVID threw us off. We tried a few more times, and the fourth time we made it. So don’t ever quit trying.”
Their mesmerizing light display transforms the Slankard home into a winter wonderland with multicolored lights, sparking Christmas trees, jolly snowmen, and meaningful family memorabilia.
“There’s just so much,” said Robert and Lori Slankard. “This yard has a lot of photo ops and a lot of family memorabilia that we give honor to our families. There’s a lot of areas to take pictures, and one of the new things this year is an Elsa sleigh that all the little girls like—we are getting good feedback on that.”
In the spirit of the season, the Slankards are also using their display to give back to the community. They are asking the community to bring canned goods and/or cash donations to Broken Arrow Neighbors which is their local food bank.
You can catch the Slankard family Thursday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight.
If you want to experience the magic for yourself, head to 10105 S. 197th E. Ave. in Broken Arrow. The lights will be on until Jan. 1.