EL PASO, Texas, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Residents of an El Paso, Texas, neighborhood say they are upset about an extravagant annual Christmas light show that brings unwanted traffic to the area.
Fred Loya's annual, nine-minute, multicolored Christmas light show started six years ago and has grown to attract more than 10,000 people a night in El Paso's affluent East Side neighborhood, the El Paso Times reported.
At a City Council meeting Tuesday, Loya's neighbors voiced concerns about the show.
"Let me make this perfectly clear: We are not opposed to the light show," Geoffrey L. Becker told the City Council. "We like light shows. It is wonderful. But we are opposed to the location in a residential neighborhood.
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"It's interesting the city can intervene on a bar license because some people don't like a bar in their neighborhood, but we complain about a light show, and it's totally inappropriate for us to do that," Becker said.
A petition was filed Oct. 24 with about 80 signatures from neighbors complaining about trash, heavy traffic and vandalism, the report said.
"The Loya family has turned our community into an amusement park. The actions of one family living amongst us have caused many within our community to dread the holiday season," the petition filed with the city clerk reads.
Yet, Loya, who this year rented extra trash cans and portable toilets, and hired off duty police for traffic control and security, said he does the show to bring happiness to families across El Paso and does not plan on putting an end to the display.
"We all have a right to have an opinion," Loya said. "But their alleged inconvenience is outweighed by the joy of all the smiles."
"We are proud of the show and as long as the people of El Paso support it, we will keep doing it," Loya said. "They call it the Loya light show. It is not. It is the 'El Paso Christmas Lights' show. The show belongs, not to this neighborhood, it belongs to all of El Paso."
