The Light of a Leader: The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights

*The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights! Photo by J. Jeff Kober.*

I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

I grabbed my daughter at 8:30 last night and ran over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It was the last night of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, and I had to be there. I was joined by so many others–many who seemed in no hurry to leave. They, like I, knew that there wouldn’t be another chance to see the crazy beauty of this Christmas spectacle.

*The lights in all its glory on The Streets of America. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.*

What was a simple request of a daughter to a father to decorate their home in lights, cascaded into a snowball of light and music. So many people would come to see Jennings Osborne’s lights that it would take neighbors some two hours to get to the corner store and back for eggnog. A lawsuit ensued and by 1995, the state Supreme Court had shut down the display.

*A memorial to Jennings Osborne and the lights that have delighted millions. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.*

John Phelan, a project director for Walt Disney World, reached out to Jennings Osborne and offered to bring the lights to Disney-MGM Studios where it was displayed starting that same year on Residential Street, a back-lot section filled with sets used for The Golden Girls and Empty Nest.

When the Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show took over Residential Street, the lights moved to the New York Street (now known as the Streets of America). It has remained here since until now, where it is being moved to make way for the new Star Wars Land.

*A sign of things to come. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.*

When Jennings passed away in 2011, former President Bill Clinton praised Osborne’s generous spirit:

“Jennings had a big heart and gave so much to so many people throughout his extraordinary life,” Clinton said in a statement. “From personally providing holiday cheer through his light shows to helping families get back on their feet after natural disasters, Jennings’ capacity to give was truly awe-inspiring.”

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee sized up Osborne this way:

“I often said that Jennings was like a little boy who never had candy, but who one day bought the candy store–and found his greatest joy in giving candy to kids who were like he once was and couldn’t afford it…He had the biggest heart in the world. He used it mostly for others. It finally gave out.”

Even with over 5 million lights turned out, the light of a leader never fades. Here’s to Jennings Osborne.