Erie, Pa., residents Jeffrey and Lynn Kinnear are the grand prize winners of Pennsylvania Electric Company's (Penelec) fourth annual 'Merry & Bright' Holiday Lights Photo Contest, a competition conducted on the company's Facebook page.

The Kinnears spent weeks creating an elaborate musical light display that received 480 votes out of more than 1,600 total votes cast on Facebook. They won a $200 Visa gift card and a set of Lumenplay app-enabled LED lights.

Customers were encouraged to submit photos of their homes' outdoor lighting displays on the Penelec Facebook page during the first several weeks of December. Ten finalists were selected from all entries, and visitors to Penelec's Facebook page voted to select the winners.

Jeffrey Kinnear has been decorating his home for the holidays since 2013, when he retired from the U.S. Army and moved back to Erie. His family's display features thousands of LED lights synced to music, as well as lighted trees and aches over the driveway. Kinnear said his family has already come up with new ideas to make next year's display bigger and brighter.

'I decorate for the holidays because my three children really look forward to it each year and it's a fun way to celebrate the season,' Kinnear said. 'I would like to thank Penelec for selecting our home as a finalist and everyone who shared in our holiday spirit by voting for us.

Runner up Stephanie Shingledecker of Morrisdale, Pa., received nearly 350 votes and won a $100 Visa gift card. She credits the success of her family's display to her son, Noah, who planned and executed most of the decorating work. Their display was comprised of thousands of LED and incandescent lights, as well as more than 40 inflatable characters.

'Our 'Merry & Bright' Holiday Lights Photo Contest showcases some of the most spectacular holiday scenes in Pennsylvania,' said Rosemary Spoljarick, manager of community involvement at FirstEnergy. 'Thanks to everyone who entered the contest and voted for their favorite display on Facebook. Congratulations to the winners!'

View the winning photos on the Penelec Facebook page or on Flickr.

CONTACT: Lauren Siburkis, (330) 384-7998

FirstEnergy Corporation published this content on 15 January 2018 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 15 January 2018 19:29:02 UTC.

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