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| Businesses shining bright |
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| News | |||
| Written by Jesse Trimble | |||
| Wednesday, 02 December 2009 08:00 | |||
Zach Hainline stood a few stories off the ground last week. Standing in the air is all part of a normal day at work for Hainline, who runs Holiday Display Services, a lighting decoration company based out of Overland Park.  But this year was the first year Hainline decorated a host of businesses on the Square in preparation for the holiday season. Friday night was the official annual lighting of the Christmas tree and 15 businesses on the Square were lit up with it. Carol Everhart, director of the Paola Chamber of Commerce, said of the 41 businesses on the Square, 15 decided to participate in having their buildings decorated by Hainline, including some of the businesses right off of the Square. Everhart said she first heard of Hainline after Patriot’s Bank hired him to decorate the building last year. She added that the Paola Convention and Tourism Committee had been asking her for the last few years to find the best person to make the Square light up during the holidays. Hainline said he’s been hanging Christmas lights professionally for the last four years, but all of his life, personally. And no, he doesn’t enjoy the height aspects of his job. “I have no desire to sit in an office,” Hainline said. “But then there are those days I don’t really enjoy being on a lift up in the air either.” Hainline works on residential houses in the northeast Kansas area, but also travels across the country for his job. Three years ago he traveled to Brooklyn, N.Y., to decorate a 40-foot tree outside of Prospect Park, which is still on display during the holidays today. He’s also done work in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina and Louisiana. Hainline doesn’t just hang Christmas lights, though, he also does animation work with the lights, where lights will blink to form an image or blink to the rhythm of music. He’s also recently started to incorporate LED Christmas lights because of their durability and brightness. Normally, Hainline will have a lease contract with a business that lasts for three years, where he provides the lights and comes back every year to put them up. He said businesses can also hire him for one-time-only events. Everhart added that it’s up to the businesses with the lights to foot the electric bill, though, and with a down economy, it could be a contributing factor to some businesses opting out of the decorations. Hainline said he hopes to be back hanging lights in Paola next year. “I really like Paola,” he said. “It’s a beautiful little town, where the people are friendly and there’s still a lot going on. It’s a gorgeous town and I would move here if I ever got the chance.” He added that he definitely doesn’t feel like a stranger when in town decorating, with people coming up to him to strike up a conversation. Overall, Hainline said the best part of his job is becoming part of family traditions. He spoke of two instances where people would always drive by to see his house decorations around Christmas — one being a personal friend of his who had no idea that it was Hainline’s own house and the second was a mother and daughter. The woman’s daughter had been in a car accident and had refused to go anywhere in a car afterwards — except to see Hainline’s house for Christmas. Hainline said that’s something he would never forget.
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