Little Muddy community lights up Christmas
The Ingram family’s love for their community makes the world brighter most days, but during the first weekend in December? It’s undeniable.
Dennis and Diane Ingram have hosted the Little Muddy Christmas tree lighting annually for 11 years. This year’s lighting ceremony, set for December 6, will be the 12th.
“The first weekend of December, we light the tree, and people in the community and friends of ours just come out and we have a little lighting ceremony,” Diane says.
Dennis, a director at Warren RECC, says the idea came to him while he considered buying the Butler County property that now hosts the event. The farm was for sale, and he was walking the property with his boys.
“I can remember it as well as yesterday,” he says. “This big cedar tree is just on the crest of this hill by itself … I told the boys, if we buy this farm, we’re going to make this a community Christmas tree.”
Planning starts at least three months in advance with the biggest push in the last month, Dennis says. The tree has approximately 4,000 lights that are powered nightly by a gas generator, using lots of cable and wire.
During the holiday season, he says, “we’ve never missed a day lighting the tree in the 11 years we’ve had it.” Some nights it may come on later than others, but it comes on.
The best place for viewing the tree, Dennis says, is from the roadway. “Even though it’s pretty at the tree, down on the road it stands out so much just up on that hill by itself.”
Hundreds of people come by to see the tree each year, and dozens attend the lighting ceremony.
“A lot of people have made it a tradition now every year,” Dennis says. “When people say, ‘Hey, I bring my grandkids out every year, my kids out every year. We always look forward to seeing it.’ That’s always a real plus for motivation to make sure we do it.”
“Everybody here, every house you see here has been involved in this project,” Dennis noted during last year’s event. “It’s a community tree, and it’s something that brings the community together.
“I’ve told many people of all the things that I do on a regular basis, this is the one I look the most forward to … We’re giving back something to the good Lord, and I think it’s just a way to say, ‘Hey Lord, you’ve been good to us.’”
