AUBURN – Six large stars made from steel rods will be added this year to a Christmas display that wowed visitors on Vista Drive last year.

Karen and Jamie Loggins plan to light up their neighborhood, possibly by Sunday if weather permits, with 140,000 lights including a series of 12-foot arches that cross the driveway, a Red Baron-Snoopy display and a 30-foot tree of lights, among other things.

The new steel-rod display will resemble a shooting star, said Jamie Loggins, a Central Maine Medical Center surgeon.

“I’m envisioning they’ll start small and grow,” as lights from the center come on, he said.

Despite traffic jams last year, the Loggins will again open their numerous displays – choreographed to holiday music – to public viewing. The lights come alive to music broadcast into cars from a radio transmitter on the Loggins’ property.

Because of the volume of viewers last year, the Auburn Police Department has a plan for traffic control. When the lights are on, police will allow only so many vehicles at a time to enter Vista Drive from Park Avenue, Lt. Kevin Mulherin said Friday.

Additionally, Loggins plans to play fewer songs at a time, shortening the show and moving traffic more quickly. He said he was overwhelmed by last year’s interest from the community.

“I never thought the turnout would be as big an issue as it was,” he said. “We’re trying to minimize that this year.” Those efforts should make the display more enjoyable for spectators and neighbors alike, he said. “That’s all we can hope for.”

He recommended that people go to his Web page, auburnlights.com, to learn about show times.

This year’s display will have more lights, more electrical power and more decorations.

In addition to the new stars on the roof, there’ll be a Charlie Brown manger. New arches, inspired by the famous Las Vegas Bellagio hotel fountains, will cross the lawn.

The Loggins and their helpers have been working on the display since Halloween. On Thursday, Loggins ran a test. He turned on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve Sarajevo.” Immediately, the driveway arches and yard lights began “dancing” to the music.

But he was only trouble-shooting. The display won’t be ready until Sunday at the soonest.

Loggins, 37, grew up in Wisconsin loving Christmas. He considers the display his family’s Christmas gift to the community. “Especially after last year and all the comments. For the most part, people said it really made their season.”

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