Mantua will host its second annual Deck the House contest to choose homes with the best Christmas decorations.
Homeowners can select among categories for their decor, including most colorful display, most classic, most original, best inflatable and best overall. Winners will be presented with a township proclamation from Mayor Robert Zimmerman, who created the contest last year with the township digital-media team to build community spirit.
“I think the big thing with the challenge as a whole and the idea with it was to just get the community involved and engaged,” said Ben James, a former digital-team member, said during the first contest last year. “I think it’s going to something nice to bring everyone together and have some holiday fun …
“It’s not like a competition where people are gonna get at each other,” he added. “It’s just going to be very lighthearted … It’s not meant to be cut throat.”
The township has rules and regulations for the contest. Among them, professional decorators cannot compete, displays must be visible from the street and environmentally friendly, sound must not exceed a certain volume, decorations cannot obstruct fire equipment, participants must agree to have their properties and displays photographed and homeowners must be good sports.
Township employees and their immediate family members are also prohibited from entering the contest. Registration began on Nov. 4; the deadline is Friday at 11:59 p.m. Participants can register online through a Google doc on Mantua Township website and can only register in one of the categories.
Residents must have their houses decorated by Monday, Dec. 2, at 5 p.m., when the digital-media team will visit and take photographs of each one. The public will then vote for the winners online from Tuesday, Dec. 3, to Friday, Dec. 13.
Township seniors will visit the top three houses in each category on Monday, Dec. 16, and determine the winners. Those in first place will be notified by email two days later and asked to attend an in-person awards ceremony the next day at the winning house.
“Here it is folks,” Zimmerman said of the contest on Facebook. “Our second annual Deck the House holiday decorating contest started last year … Hard to believe it’s that time of year.”
