When Jordan Adams was a 12-year-old growing up in Blue Springs, he had a dream. That dream has become a reality for the 31-year-old business owner and graduate of Blue Springs High School. Last month he opened North Pole Acres in Oak Grove - a one-mile drivethrough Christmas light show with a castle entrance, a lighted drive-through tunnel and more than 1 million pixel bulbs that create 16 million color combinations. All the lights are coordinated to music that patrons can hear on 87.9 FM. North Pole Acres, 1010 N.W. First St., is open 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $20 per car on weekdays and $25 per car on weekends. A portion of that fee is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The display runs through Jan. 5. “It’s crazy that I was able to pull this off, and I couldn’t be any prouder of it,” Adams said. “My dad, Robert, who is a trim carpenter, helped build the castle – it’s 50 feet wide and 28 feet in height at its tallest point, and all cars enter North Pole Acres through the castle. “We have all kinds of trees, a lighted tunnel and a 25-foot pinwheel.” “I’m not the bragging type, but it turned out so great. I love it – and I love it even more when I’m working out here and get to hear the comments of the folks who go through.” One man recently went through with his family, and returned to the gate to buy another ticket. “He told me he had been battling some depression and that it makes him happy,” Adams said, “and that he hadn’t felt that good for months. We let him and his family go back through for nothing. I got a little emotional talking with him, because that is why I wanted to build something like this. I want people to be happy at Christmas, and everyone seems to really be enjoying our display.” Eight years ago, Adams was watching an episode of “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” and says, “I was blown away. The lights on those families’ homes were incredible, and I knew I had to create something like that.” Four years later he contacted host Brian Larsen, who formed a company that creates Christmas extravaganzas. He found out that Larsen’s company creates four Christmas light shows each year. “So I went to work,” said Adams, who owns companies that install Christmas lights on homes and businesses, remove junk from homes and care for lawns. “I purchased 20 acres ... and the company came out and installed most of the lights and things you see on your drive. My dad and I did all the road work, and we installed all the lights you see as you drive up to the display. It’s quite an investment, but I’m proud of it. “And I dedicated it to my grandmother Leona E. Adams and my aunt Barbara K. Adams, who loved Christmas lights and the holidays as much as I do.” A recent question on the Oak Grove Community Page asked about the lights that suddenly appeared in the community. “It can catch you off guard,” Adams said, “but I know we have the support of the Oak Grove Police Department because they responded that at first they thought it was the Batman Bat Signal, then upon further investigation they found out it was just North Pole Acres in Oak Grove.” As he walks through his Christmas display, Adams begins to battle his own emotions, “This isn’t about making money, that’s why I’m donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” he said. “It’s about making people happy. It’s about making a little kid’s dream come true. I didn’t know what to expect when we started all of this, but I am so proud of it, and the response from everyone who has driven through - from parents and grandparents to little kids - has been beyond my expectations. “I truly feel blessed, and hope I am bringing some holiday cheer this Christmas.”
