Steve Baker

A panel of judges headed by Steve Baker, owner of Fun Biz Charter Bus Services, plan to honor owners of the best Christmas decorated house in Lehigh.

While the judges will travel many of the streets of Lehigh Acres and look for the best decorated house in the community, Baker said neighbors and owners of homes who are decorating are encouraged to send a photo and the address of the home to be considered to Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce, Holiday Bus, PO Box 757, Lehigh Acres.

Photos can also be emailed to: Info@lehighacreschamber.org, along with the address.

“We want to bring back the custom of awarding the best decorated home in Lehigh,” Baker said.

On December 16 at 6:30 p.m., the holiday bus will transport 12 judges around Lehigh and they will pick the Best Decorated Home in town. Members of the public may also ride on the bus if they make a contribution to the Kiwanis Club of Lehigh, but you must call Baker at 789-7971 to make reservations. The bus will only hold 34 people. There will be refreshments available on the bus, too, Baker said.

The judges are made up of Steve Baker’s wife, Inke Baker, assistant to the director of the Chamber, members of the Lehigh Acres Kiwanis Club, members of the Lehigh Rotary club and members of the Chamber.

“Every year we see more and more homes decorated with lights and ornaments in their yards; some really outstanding that required a lot of work. We think it would be a great idea to honor these people. The home and a photo will be published in The Lehigh Acres Citizen in its Dec. 15 edition and also on the paper’s Internet site, Lehighacrescitizen.com. Members of both clubs hope to make this an annual affair.

Baker said a plaque from the Chamber of Commerce will be presented to the overall winner. He also said judges will select a second place and a third place winner whose addresses will be published so people can ride by their homes to see the decorations.

“Even though we’re going to ride around and look for homes that are decorated, we encourage homeowners who want to be considered and also neighbors on the many streets in Lehigh to still contact us,” Baker said. “Lehigh is a big area.”

“The homes in Lehigh are beautiful at Christmas and a lot of people really put a lot of work in decorating and we want to show them off,” Baker said.

A lot of families ride around Lehigh during the holidays looking at the homes at night. If you see something you think is worthy, Baker wants the judges to know about it. You can also contact Baker at 789-7971.