Everton family carries on Christmas light tradition

December 6, 2023 7

For 25 years, Kenna Nethken, owner of Cut Em Up Tree Care, decorated his house and large yard east of Seaford with thousands of Christmas lights and decorations. It soon became a must-do event for the holiday season.

Last year, Nethken, who’s had some health issues, could no longer put up his display, which took months to set up. He put out an all-call to see if any organizations or businesses were interested in a donation of his large $30,000 collection.

He received several inquires, but only one fulfilled the vision he had in mind, and it was less than two miles from his home.

Beth Everton Barczak, whose parents Mike and Rosemary Everton own Mid-Atlantic Services, met with family members to see if there was interest because she knew the main core of her volunteers would be family members. The Evertons have 11 children who all live near the family farm and business.

With the sponsorship of the company, she started to put the wheels in motion, and the Drive Thru Christmas on Merry Lane was born.

“We have the perfect location with a drive-round looping driveway and a warehouse for storage,” Beth said. “Through it all, we wanted to honor Kenna and his legacy. This means a lot to us. It’s a unique opportunity that is bigger than itself. It’s so special and so unique; we are all excited about it.”

In September, truckload after truckload started arriving on the property. “Before we started, we had to test everything to see what was working,” Beth said.

After that, setup began in October led by core team of six people, with more than 20 volunteers and several family members getting involved.

Because of his association with the decorations and lights, Nethken helped when he was needed.

The light display’s first night was Nov. 25. More than 350 cars with 1,000 people turned out for the inaugural event, and they raised $1,000.

Volunteers will hand out 9,000 candy canes to children this season. To help defray the cost, several local sponsors have contributed money.

Supporting organizations

The family wants to use the light spectacular to raise funds to support local organizations, including Kiwanis Club of Seaford and Heroes Haven. Nethken is a Kiwanian who raised money through donations at his light display to support the club.

They also have a Stuff the Sleigh benefit for several worthwhile organizations: through Dec. 10 for the Hope and Nathan Toy Drive, new unwrapped toys; Dec. 14-17 for Nemours Child Life Program, new unwrapped gifts; Dec. 21-24 for Love INC, hats, gloves, hoodies and socks; Dec. 28-31, Whimsical Animal Rescue, cat and dog food, toys, treats and kitty litter.

The Hope and Nathan Toy Drive supports the Glasgow family of Seaford who collect toys in memory of their 14-year-old daughter Hope and 4-year-son Nathan, who were killed in a tragic car crash Jan. 6, 2022.

The Ronald McDonald House was a beneficiary of Stuff the Sleigh in early December. It is a place the Everton family knows well. Ellie Everton had her first heart transplant at 4 months. Now 13, she is on the waiting list for another transplant.

“She and her family have spent a lot of time at Ronald McDonald House, and we want to support them,” said Rosemary.