Neighbors demand Christmas lights removed over traffic

FAIRFAX, Conn. — From the moment the lights start to flicker after Thanksgiving until they are turned off after New Year's Day, thousands of cars descend on the Wonderland at Roseville.

The display, with thousands of lights, multiple train sets, nutcrackers of all sizes and even a small chapel, attracted more than 30,000 visitors last year, homeowner Gene Halliwell told the Connecticut Post.

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This year, 45 people signed a petition to dim the lights.

“We’ve never had one person come to say ‘Could you turn the lights down, or the music down,’ although we don’t have the music blaring,” Halliwell said.

The 28 households said the display brings too much traffic to the neighborhood.

“(Neighbors) appreciate the entertainment to the community and the charity that the Wonderland at Roseville brings. However, our concern is the event’s traffic and parking situation which presents a significant public safety concern for our neighborhood,” Nadine Losquadro, who has lived in the neighborhood six years and submitted the petition, told the Post.

Parking restrictions would apply to all vehicles, not just those visiting the display. Temporary restrictions were put in place last year, police said.

Halliwell said he used the display to help raise money for the Shriners Hospital of Springfield, Massachusetts.

"We're trying to figure out what to do," Maryann Halliwell, Gene's daughter who also lives in the house, told the Post. "It's probably our last year. It's a real shame."

Cox Media Group