Florida. Spanktown Road display is a Christmas tradition - and bigger and better this year

With more than 50,000 lights and music, no Town of Warwick home has attracted more tourists at Christmastime than the home of Vincent Poloniak on Spanktown Road in the Village of Florida.

It takes Poloniak and a few friends about three weeks to complete the annual project.

But last year, Poloniac had a medical issue and his doctor ordered that he just rest and postpone any arduous tasks, including the Christmas display.

But he promised to resume the spectacular decoration at Christmastime 2020.

And it’s bigger and better than ever.

It’s also a welcome relief for families that have had to curtail some Christmas traditions.

The only request is that visitors wear masks and practice social distancing.

Poloniak and his wife, Joan, now deceased, began decorating their home for Christmas back in 1973, when their daughter Paula was only five years old.

“It all started with a Santa we purchased in Newburgh,” he recalled, “and then we would add to our decorations each year. But I got wild in the 1990s and that developed into what you see today.”

When he was once asked how long he expected to be doing this, Poloniak answered, “I can’t stop now. Too many people look forward to it. And I love seeing the children and how happy and surprised they are by the display.”

He also didn’t expect to run out of new visitors.

“The children who came here years ago,” he said, “now bring their children.”

Visiting Spanktown Road to enjoy his spectacular display has become a Christmastime tradition in the Town of Warwick. The lights are turned on at 4 p.m.

- Roger Gavan