Owner looking to donate huge Christmas display
For the past 25 years, Kenna Nethken has been up to his elbows in Christmas decorations as he turns his house and property into a Christmas wonderland. Thousands of people from throughout Sussex County have driven around the property and made donations to a variety of causes to which he and his wife, Cheryl, have contributed.
Last year as he neared the completion of his huge display at his home off Old Furnace Road near Seaford, a series of health issues, some caused by a serious fall, nearly cost him his life. “My doctor said I shouldn’t be alive today,” he said. His body’s salt level sank to 104; levels below 125 can be fatal. He ended up in the hospital for 11 days.
He said it's impossible to do the work necessary to put up the display this year, and he's looking for a nonprofit organization to take the lights – all $30,000 of them.
Although he says his display is worth $30,000, it's actually worth much, much more, because Kenna Nethken is a master at getting deals and discounts.
Nethken said what he will miss the most is shopping for lights and displays after the holiday season. “I was always able to get some really good deals and always worked out a deal with Lowe's to take most of their leftover lights for a substantial discount,” he said.
His biggest coup was getting 48 lighted trees and their storage boxes from the City of Orlando, Fla. “I saw a notice on the internet that the city was not going to use the lights anymore so I contacted them and made a deal,” he said. “They cost $1,000 to $2,000 and we got them for $10 a tree.”
He and his wife flew down to Orlando, loaded up a U-Haul truck and drove home with the trees.
A humble start
Nethken, who owns Cut 'Em Tree Care of Delaware, said his display started with a Santa and reindeer flying over his house. “I didn't want to be that guy who just put up one display, so we have added to it every year, and still display Santa and his reindeer,” he said. “At that time, we really didn't know what we were doing, but we learned a lot.”
He said switching to LED lights has cut his electric bill in half.
He and his wife would start on a plan for their display in early October before they would begin the actual work.
For more information on the lights and decorations, contact Nethken at 302-629-4655.
