Bright and merry nights

SAUK CENTRE, Minn. — There is a bright spot in central Minnesota, southeast of the spot where Highway 71 crosses Interstate 94.

For years, with the help of Scott and Mary Peterson, Mark Haskamp has decorated his nearly century-old family farm south of Sauk Centre with an extensive Christmas lights display, and anyone in need of the holiday spirit is welcome to drive through.

“People have been good to us, and we want to share with them,” Scott said. “It affects them all.”

The Haskamp farm has been in the family since Henry Haskamp, Mark’s grandfather, bought it in 1925 for $150 an acre. His son and Mark’s father, Julian Haskamp, bought it in 1967 and expanded the property to 270 acres. Here he milked cows for 49 years until he retired in 1996 and sold the milk cows.

Now, the farm has 23 acres, a couple of cats, and, around this time of year, a myriad of decorations.

The tradition started with the Christmas lights Julian hung on the house each year the night before Thanksgiving. His wife, Mae, handled the inside decorations, watched the family through the window, and, when people had to go, made the outside light flicker as her way of saying goodbye.

The decorations kicked into high gear when Mark and Mary worked together at Coborn’s Inc. in Sauk Centre. They made many large displays, including a dancing Santa and a semi-trailer made from produce bins to display truckload sales. Mary gardened at the Haskamp’s, and they started bringing their decorating skills to the farm.

“We were untangling Christmas lights in this box,” Mary said. “They did the fence and the house and the nativity set. … (I said,) ‘Mark, can we do a display out here?’ and then we just grew it. Every year, we’ve added more pieces to it.”

Setup for the Haskamp display typically begins in early October so it is ready to be lit the day after Thanksgiving. This year’s nice weather gave them plenty of time to get everything just right they said. Mark and the Petersons make the decorations out of strings of lights and different controllers to create pieces that look like they are moving.

“This wouldn’t happen if it was just me,” Mark said. “I’m appreciative we have a friendship to do this because that’s what it takes. … We’re using our God-given talents.”

One of the newest light-based additions is a snow-covered cabin with a smoking chimney and a nearby fire where a pair of people are roasting marshmallows.

“On a cold night, you almost want to go in that house and warm up,” Mark said.

Scott helps maintain the decorations, from replacing bulbs to repairing squirrel-chewed wires. They said they have become particular in the lights they use on their display.

A nativity scene is always part of the setup. The one the Haskamps have belonged to Julian’s brother, Othmar Haskamp, who lived in Waite Park. After he passed away, Julian got the whole display — with the exception of one of the three wise men, which disappeared years before it came to the farm.

The decoration setup changes every year, and the pieces often have special meaning behind them. One year, Scott and a local bus driver, Dale Poepping, were diagnosed with cancer, and so they put up a sign of colored lights that said “Hope” and had a pair of folded hands.

Additionally, because Scott needed to use a walker for a time, they incorporated another piece that resembled a grandmother with a walker,
partly a reference to the song “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”

The Haskamp farm does not advertise its display, but it welcomes anyone who wants to come off Highway 71 and have a look around. Some days, they also open their garage to family and friends so they can come in and warm up with hot chocolate and other treats. This year, they also featured a visit from Santa.

“We love the families who come out and take their time,” Mary said. “They come from quite a distance and look at the lights.”

The Haskamps estimate they had about 400 cars drive in to see the display last year. Local assisted living facilities also bus out residents so they can have a tour.

The Haskamp family never knows who will be the next to drop by. Last year, they were doing a light test with their decorations in the middle of November when a delivery driver pulled in and got out of his truck.

“Seeing his face gave us motivation,” Mary said. “I don’t know where he was from, … and (the lights) weren’t even on yet, and he was like, ‘Do you mind if I bring my family?’ That really inspires us to keep going.”

In 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, it was especially important to Peterson and the Haskamps to put out the display, considering how most of the usual holiday events had been put on hold that year.

“We got a lot of comments,” Mary said. “(Visiting the lights) was all they could do.”

The display remains up until mid-January, provided the snow is shallow enough for removal.

The main reason Mark and the Petersons continue their Christmas lights tradition they said is to give joy to everyone who passes through. But they do not deny its benefit for them as well.

“I love the peacefulness when you come down the driveway,” Mary said. “It brings you back to your childhood.”