AUBURN – It’s a darn good thing there are no major holidays coming in the next week or two. The people at Rolly’s Diner, veterans of decorating, have to completely revamp their style the next time they deck out the popular eatery on Main Street.

“We change the entire theme of the diner every holiday,” said Ken Blais, who co-owns the business with his mother. “We sort of go overboard, I guess. We deck the place out and some of the customers really enjoy it.”

Most of the customers, even. But a few who popped into the diner during the Balloon Festival this year were apparently not so thrilled with the decor. A complaint was lodged with the Fire Department by somebody – nobody really knows who it was – who suggested the decorations might present a safety hazard. The Fire Department had to step in and address the situation.

“They told me I have to change how I do it or stop doing it altogether,” Blais said. “It’s a shame that whoever complained about it didn’t come to me personally.”

Blais said he is always careful to use surge protectors and other safety equipment when lighting up the diner as part of a holiday display. But electricity was not the problem, he said. Instead, the fire department ordered him to make sure he uses specific materials when draping decorations around the building.

Blais said he will start shopping for items specifically marked as flame resistant when he decorates in the future. Those materials are more expensive and not as readily available as holiday items that can be bought at Wal-Mart or other retailers.

“We always take safety into consideration,” Blais said. “We’re going to do whatever we can to keep people safe and to not let anybody down.”

Good news for Rolly’s patrons. Next on the horizon is Halloween, typically the mother of all decorating holidays for the family. The typical Halloween ambiance at Rolly’s features ghosts and ghouls, cauldrons, witches and faux thunderstorms.

“We’re preparing to put up Halloween decorations, but we’re not sure if we can do it as heavily as we usually do,” Blais said. “We’re trying to come up with a way that we can do it and still be in compliance.”