Josh Barnett is an ambitious man.
By the age of 9, he was already decorating his grandmother’s house with 1,000 Christmas lights. His one-man operation grew until 2001, when he had decorated his parents’ home with a computer-run display featuring over 185,000 lights synchronized with music.
He was given a Beautiful Bakersfield Award in 2002, he said.
Now, Barnett has taken his love of decorating and knowledge of computers and lighting into “Lightasmic,” a free of charge, computer-driven holiday gift to the city, held at Stiers RV, located on the corner of Wible and Harris roads.
“Lightasmic” features half a million lights, a working Ferris wheel, a computer-driven snowman and four penguins voiced by KUZZ radio DJs, original music composed by Mark Yeary and a few cleverly orchestrated “mistakes,” made by North the Snowman that should make the audience laugh.
The event costs approximately $50,000, according to Barnett, a cost that is being paid for by sponsors and donations.
“I think it’s incredible,” said Mike Stier, owner of Stiers RV.
A few months ago, Barnett approached Stier with the idea of hosting a Christmas light show in the parking lot.
Stier, who was impressed with Barnett’s work, agreed, and Barnett’s “Lightasmic” began to become realized.
Ulman Construction, Frye Construction, Vintage Limousine, Motor City and Star Electric are just a few of the companies sponsoring the event.
“I thought it was a worthwhile project, and it would be something good for the community, and Mike Stier is a good friend of mine,” said John Van Alstyne, owner of Sierra Printing, another sponsor.
The light show will be shown through Dec. 31 nine times a night. Each show will be 12 minutes long and will differ from the one before it.
It features bells, a merry-go-round, and a giant American flag made entirely out of Christmas lights.
“I liked it when they changed the multicolored (lights) from whites,” said James Evans, 9, a Bakersfield resident who attended the show Monday with his sister and grandparents.
The differences in the show will depend on the “mistakes” made by North, a 4-foot computer-controlled snowman who acts as the master of ceremonies for “Lightasmic.”
“North is basically our host, he’s going to be what we call our fire ignitor,” said Barnett, before explaining the ineptness of the character. “You see, North, sometimes he’ll push the wrong button, we’ve got fog machines that go off, we’ve got police lights and strobe lights.”
However, it’s anyone’s guess as to when this will happen.
Barnett, who once dreamed of getting hired by the Walt Disney Co., now wishes to start his own company.
Despite technical difficulties on the first night, he hopes “Lightasmic” will help him on his way.
“I still would like to work for Disney. It’d give me a lot of good work experience,” he said.