ERVING — At first, Guy Bezio thought it was the high winds that damaged three of his inflatable holiday decorations on his front lawn.
But then, the light of day revealed tire tracks and that some real life Grinch had driven over his family’s colorful display, destroying a group of large inflated holiday decorations and damaging two other inflatables.
“The tire marks go right through the center of the Christmas display,” Bezio said. “The way the lawn is sloped, they actually had to accelerate. The police are pretty sure this is a deliberate act.”
Bezio originally noticed the damage when he went to work Friday morning, and believes the incident took place sometime Thursday night.
Bezio lives at 37 State Road, Route 2, in the Farley section of Erving with his wife, Shari, and adult daughter Crysania, and thousands of drivers have enjoyed their displays over the years. They started when they moved there in 2007 with a group of ghosts encircling a tree for Halloween and have been adding to the displays every year. Bezio, who works for Yankee Candle in Deerfield, says many of his coworkers have enjoyed his display, remarking that they feel like they are close to home when they pass them on Route 2 returning from the eastern part of the state.
After decorating for Halloween this year, Bezio said he even found a note on Crysania’s car, thanking them for their displays.
“So when stuff like this happens, it really strikes a nerve,” Bezio said. “It’s very disappointing and it’s hurtful. We put a lot of time and effort into putting up the decorations, and friends and neighbors appreciate it.”
Bezio said he’s undaunted by what he hopes is a random act. He repaired the inflatable snowman and teddy bear in a Santa suit Friday afternoon, putting them back out on his lawn.
“It’s not going to stop me,” he said. “I braved the cold and put more lights up on the bushes across the house, just so that people know we’re going to keep going.”
Anyone with any information about the act of vandalism is encouraged to call the Erving Police Department at 413-423-3310.