CONCORD, Calif. -- Three years ago, Eric Hakes's daughter asked him if he'd put some lights up for Christmas, but she never expected him to transform his front lawn into the ice planet, Hoth, from the Empire Strikes Back.
Hakes admits he doesn't do things on a small scale; "I went from zero to a thousand."
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Visitors can marvel at a legion of LED Stormtroopers casting a soft, white glow over his front yard. A light-up Darth Vader and Boba Fett are present as well, but the show stopper is a 16 and a half foot tall 'AT-AT' walker rising well above Hake's roofline.
"It's my greatest feat" Hakes muses, "and he's as tough as the ones in the movie."
Neighbor Sharon Morgan felt like she was "walking into Star Wars". "It's like the Empire Strikes Back all over again."
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Hakes is thrilled to be spreading holiday cheer to his community. And his greatest reward is hearing "Oh my gosh! What is that?" coming from crowds of amazed visitors.
As for the future of his Christmas decorations, he's already thinking about next year.