SHOREVIEW, Minn. - It is a holiday spectacle that’s been turning heads in the North Metro for more than a decade.
Rich Haavisto and his wife, Tina, have pulled together what can be described as a small army of Christmas-themed inflatables in the front yard of his Shoreview home.
Haavisto says he has more than 100 pieces dotting his lawn this year. With another 100 or so in storage.
He says the idea was born about 16 years ago out of a friendly competition with a neighbor. Realizing he couldn’t compete with traditional Christmas decorations, Haavisto turned to the inflatables after seeing a display at a local store. He says after that they “just kept buying more inflatables.”
Haavisto says his collection has also garnered a fair number of fans over the years. He says many families have made it part of their own holiday tradition to make the trip down County Road J to see the nightly show.
This year, he added a Toys for Tots collection site at his home. Haavisto says, to date, they've collected about 80 toys.
If you’d like to see the Haavisto’s inflatable collection for yourself, they’re located at 492 County Road J West in Shoreview, just East of County Road 49. The inflatables will be up through New Year’s Day, weeknights from 4-10 pm and weekends from noon - 11 pm.
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