Swift Creek Christmas display opens Monday

After the 30 years of astonishing children, the Christmas lights went dark in 1998. The Webb family of Swift Creek Road put thousands of Christmas lights and decorations into storage. Mack Webb decided it was too much for his family to continue doing and the anniversary of the display was a fitting time to end it.

On Monday, though, Hartsville area residents can be wowed once again by the family’s spectacular Christmas displays. People as far away as Florence remember the lights.

“Everybody around here knows about it,” Mack’s son Michael said.

“I go around now and say, ‘I’m Mack Webb.’ They look at me, and they say, ‘Are you the fella who used to put all the Christmas lights up?’” Mack said. “They still remember.”

Michael started unpacking the décor Oct. 26 this year, which was four weeks later than Mack normally started.

Michael has a 5-year-old son who he would like to experience the magical Christmases he saw as a child growing up at least one time. Adding to the urgency to put up the display again, this March the family found out Mack has inoperable lung cancer.

“They gave him till December,” Michel said. “He’s doing fine though. He hasn’t deteriorated.”

Mack had a stroke in 1996, so he personally hasn’t put up the decorations since that time. Michael along with his sister and family friends put up the decorations in 1996, ‘97 and ‘98.

“He always enjoyed doing this,” Michael said. “If it hadn’t been for the stroke he had, he would still put them up today.”

Mack started the displays in 1968 with one main decoration. Each year, he added something every year through 1998. The former building contractor and volunteer firefighter got many of his ideas from Popular Mechanics magazine. The Webbs also take a video of it every year.

“I done it because I wanted to,” Mack said. He has never asked for donations and never told anyone how much it costs.

The driveway will be lined with lit lollipops, and more than 100,000 lights will sparkle each night.

“He would wrap everything in the yard with lights,” Michael said of his father’s decorating method.

Painted wood cut outs of cartoon characters, Looney Tunes characters, Santas, reindeers, angels and more dot the lawn. Running, flashing and steadily glowing lights wind around more than 30 plastic trees between the similarly-wrapped natural trees.

A rocket ship made from a Sonoco tube with Santa on it has always been one of the highlights. The Messenger ran a photo of Michael and his sister with the original rocket on the front page in 1969.

A 40-foot pole with multiple strands of running lights descending at an angle to create a Christmas tree of light is one of Michael’s favorite items in the display.

Mack’s favorite thing is counting how many cars come through the display. He sits on the porch with a counter each night.

One weekend, 1,000 cars came through the driveway.

Another part of the display, a 1942 Chevrolet fire truck that Mack purchased from the City of Hartsville when it was retired will be pulled up and characters placed on and around it like a Big Bird wearing a fireman’s hat.

Above the fire truck in the “firehouse,” where Mack normally houses the fire truck, will be a manager scene that changes colors.

During the last week before Christmas, Michael will try to get someone to dress as Santa to wave to the children and hand out treats.

“If I can find someone, I’ll do that too,” Michael said.

One of the biggest groups that has come out to help the Webbs was Boy Scout Troop 523 that helped clean up the yard and string some lights.

“I hope he gets enough people out to come out to enjoy it,” Mack said.

Michael said he will be adding things through Christmas, so residents should plan on driving through more than once this holiday season. The display will be up through Jan. 2.