Just hours after Thanksgiving, residents of Vacaville’s Arlene Drive wasted no time beginning the process of transforming their neighborhood into a glowing corridor of holiday and winter magic better known as Candy Cane Lane. The work continued throughout Saturday morning and early afternoon.
By 11:15 a.m., Walt Irwin, who lives at 578 Arlene, stood on a small ladder adjusting some house lights just to the right of a sign above his garage entrance that read, “Welcome to Candy Cane Lane.”
Irwin, a retired Solano County probation officer, did not start the annual neighborhood home decoration craze when he bought his home nearly 35 years ago. Since then, the tradition has become a must-see event, creating traffic jams, attracting media coverage, and spreading holiday cheer every December.
“No, I can’t take credit for that,” said the congenial Irwin, 77, clad in a baseball cap and a down jacket to ward off the brisk morning chill under gray skies.
The person who could take credit was Richard Rampone, the longtime owner of Rick’s Body & Paint, who lived at 536 Arlene with his wife, Karen, and started the tradition “around 1990,” Irwin said.
Rampone began by cutting plywood into curved candy canes, decorating them, and giving three to each neighbor. “He handed them out to everybody,” recalled Irwin. “It was nice. It just started from there. And he started with lights next.”
Smiling and recalling the early efforts that transformed the neighborhood’s December ambience, Irwin added, “If you didn’t decorate your house, people would look at you as if you were odd.”
There is no oddity in Irwin’s own front yard, which includes snowmen; a pair of Nutcracker princes side by side on a gate; several white signs with the word “Peace” topped with doves; lights shaped like snowflakes and five-pointed stars strung across tree branches; strings of red lights; a two-dimensional Santa Claus waving; a 5-foot-tall angel with leaf-like aluminum shards that flutter in the breeze or sparkle when lights shine on them; a row of upright red-and-white candy canes; and white icicle-shaped lights.
When asked about the cost of all the decorations and upgrades over the years, Irwin laughed, “I haven’t a clue. You know, you just do it.” He conceded that his electricity bills do “spike” during December and added, “If you’re worried about how much it costs, you shouldn’t be doing it.”
The true reward, according to Irwin, is the children’s wide-eyed expressions, their awe and joy.
“It makes it all worthwhile,” he said. “People who used to come in the past are now bringing their grandkids. It’s a tradition.”
In prior years, Sacramento television crews have covered the event, and tour buses from the Bay Area often visit, drawn by the several dozen homes featuring elaborate light displays, cartoonish inflatable characters, a Nativity scene, jolly Santa Claus figures, lighted reindeers, and the festive holiday spirit.
At night, visitors who walk through the neighborhood often park on North Orchard or a nearby church parking lot. Irwin described the nightly traffic as “bumper-to-bumper” from 5 to 9 p.m.
Asked if Candy Cane Lane can be seen from outer space, he laughed and said once more, “It’s all worthwhile. It puts smiles on people’s faces.”
In a brief interview, Karen Rampone, who has lived at 536 Arlene Drive for 35 years, recalled her late husband placing three plywood candy canes on neighborhood lawns to start the tradition.
Seated in the dining room of a nearby home owned by their son Derek, she mentioned that her son “loved Christmas Vacation,” suggesting that his enthusiasm helped inspire Candy Cane Lane.
Rampone noted that her electricity bills rise to $600 in December and that over the years, she and her husband used “thousands of lights” to decorate their home. However, using LED lights in recent years has made the displays more cost-efficient.
Nearby Shady Glen Avenue, known as Lollipop Lane, also features abundant decorations and lights, which attracted another Sacramento television station one year.
Karen Rampone emphasized the strong sense of togetherness and tradition the annual decorations bring to the neighborhood. The displays bring joy to families and visitors from the local area and greater Northern California.
“Every year, we get little notes on our door, thanking us,” said Rampone, 79, who formerly ran the Tutoring Center at Solano Community College in Fairfield. “People who were kids and saw the lights are now bringing their own kids here. It makes people happy. I hope we can keep doing it.”
Beyond spreading holiday cheer, the Candy Cane Lane spirit has fostered community and charitable giving. Over the years, neighbors have organized toy and food drives and collected clothes for those in need, reinforcing the underlying message of the holidays amid all the lights.
https://www.thereporter.com/2025/12/06/tradition-lights-up-vacaville/