A real life Clark Griswold?

By Kate Miller, Record Staff Writer

Posted 11/7/19

Some people are so filled with the Christmas spirit, their homes become a holiday tradition for the entire community. The Avery home on Fairlane Circle in Warrenton might be that place in Warren …

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A real life Clark Griswold?

Posted Thursday, November 7, 2019 3:22 pm

By Kate Miller, Record Staff Writer

Some people are so filled with the Christmas spirit, their homes become a holiday tradition for the entire community.The Avery home on Fairlane Circle in Warrenton might be that place in Warren County. The place is lit up with 50,000 lights and about 240 lawn figures.The patriarch of the household, Mark Avery, is something of a real-life Clark Griswold from the movie “Christmas Vacation.”“My wife (Kim) likes it except she can’t use her hair dryer at night because it blows the fuses,” said Avery.The family has taken to lighting the display of displays from sundown to about 9 p.m. to save electricity and keep outages to a minimum.One neighbor said the Averys have the best decorated lawn ornaments and figures in town.Avery said, “I hate to brag, but it is really good. I take a lot of pride in this.”His love of Christmas decorations started when he was a kid. As the first grandchild, he grew up watching his grandparents put up their annual display.Eventually, he helped his grandmother every year. Then he inherited her decorations and added more to the collection.The decorations took over his garage.“We don’t park cars in our garage,” Avery said. “It all gets stored in the garage. But we’re getting a shed this year.”He said his daughter, Erika, 20, told him, “We have now crossed the line.”While he may get some ribbing at home, most people enjoy the display and his holiday spirit. He said people are stunned when they first see it, then are appreciative, and kids simply love it.“Friends bring their kids and they get to run around in it. It’s like Disney World to them,” Avery said.Avery spends about 120 hours assembling the display. He starts Veterans Day weekend and has it up and running by Thanksgiving.He takes it down starting in January with the help of his two sons, Austin, 21, and Ethan, 16.

Mark Avery stands with holiday displays in front of his home in Warrenton. Jana Todd photo.

The Avery home near the Warren County Fairgrounds lit up in its annual holiday decor and 50,000 lights. Jana Todd photo.

A real life Clark Griswold?

A real life Clark Griswold?

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A real life Clark Griswold?

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A real life Clark Griswold?