Rodgers powering on

Like a reverse mullet, Chuck Rodgers' property on 79th Street is all party in the front and all business in the back.

At the end of 2023, Rodgers said he was probably done with the huge amount of work it takes to put on his annual holiday display. He was hoping he and his wife Heidi would be in a warmer climate during the 2024 Christmas season. But, they were at home, and Rodgers looked at their dark yard and said, "I couldn't stand it."

Then a call from Longmont Meals on Wheels (LMOW) asking if he would be doing anything to help the organization raise funds for them this year as he has for many years, sealed the deal. He then decided the show must go on. Normally, he would have started installing everything a month earlier, but this year on Nov. 17, he was back in action beginning to install the light party in his front yard.

The display is about a third of what it has been in prior years with the elimination of the lights and features that bordered the backside of his driveway, some special characters sitting in various trucks, and many strings of lights that are normally in the trees and bushes.

Inflatables are a hot-button subject for Rodgers. Originally he was adamantly against putting out any inflatables this year. Snow and the amount of wind at his house turn air-filled characters into high maintenance items. But his grandson's love of inflatables resulted in Rodgers agreeing to put up just three. Rodgers said, "Already Santa Claus got his a** ripped out by a gust of wind."

The annual question for Rodgers is, "What are your latest injuries?" Sure enough, this year he has a shattered thumb joint on his right hand. No matter the level of suffering, Rodgers always manages to get those lights up. Once everything is taken down this year, he'll be having surgery to repair his hand and recovery is expected to take six months.

The business in the back of Rodgers' property is a 25-acre, 5-megawatt solar array installed by Namaste Solar. The installation is nearly done and the power generated "should accommodate 2,000 homes a year," according to Rodgers. All of that electricity will be donated to households that qualify through Energy Outreach Colorado, a nonprofit organization providing energy assistance and resources. The cost of that energy will come to $17M over 20 years.

Approved by Boulder County on Dec. 6, 2023, plans are for the solar array to be powered up by the end of March 2025. The project is part of Xcel Energy's Solar*Rewards Program and was spear-headed through the county approval process by Denver-based Pivot Energy Inc., a national renewable energy provider. Once the power is flowing, Pivot will lease the land from Rodgers and will own and operate the solar farm throughout its projected 40-year operational lifespan.

There's only one way to reach the array, and that's down Rodgers' driveway. "It was semi after semi after semi," Rodgers said of the construction process.

The driveway had to be widened and the road to the project behind the house needed to be built to "fire engine standards" in order for the road to support the weight of the construction vehicles. This led to 2 feet of existing dirt being scraped off and another 2 feet of road base being laid down.

Now, more than 60 rows of solar panels sit on the property and are surrounded entirely by a 10-foot high fence.

The project ran much longer than anticipated, primarily because each change required approval by Boulder County. Present plans are for Xcel Energy to make the final connection from the power pole in the field to 79th Street by the end of February.

Last year, Rodgers' holiday light show raised donations of $32,400 and 277 pounds of food for Longmont Meals on Wheels, a non-profit organization providing meals to those in need, allowing recipients to live independently with dignity. There's a donation box along the light display route and a QR code to scan for those who would prefer to give online. Non-perishable food donations are also being collected at the display.

Donations on behalf of the holiday lights exhibit may also be given online by visiting Longmont Meals on Wheels.

To see this fantastic holiday light show, visit 5980 79th Street, between Highway 52 and Lookout Road, from now through Monday, Jan. 6, from sundown to 9:30 p.m.