HAMILTON — Driving along Highway 93 a star illuminates the mountainside south of Hamilton just past Lost Horse.
"I really think that star's going to be here for absolutely forever." Mary Thomas shared.
It shines from Thanksgiving to New Years, honoring Mary Thomas and Cliff Cooper's brother Daryl who was killed by a drunk driver in North Dakota in 1981.
"It was about 2 o'clock in the morning. A 21 year old drunk kid hit him head on," Cooper said.
"Dad decided to actually do the star that is, after Daryl was killed," Thomas said, noting her brother and father, Beryl, discussed the idea before Daryl passed away.
After the star went up, the Cooper family continued adding lights to the land, creating a mini North Pole each holiday season.
"Everything kind of grew from the star. Everything just it exploded from the star," Thomas noted.
Thousands of lights brought in hundreds of cars.
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"Oh man, Dad was like Mr. Christmas. He lit up everything. He even did the side of the barn. Mom always supported him," Thomas said.
One year, Mary and Cliff's mother tracked that 1595 cars passed by the house to look at the display; that tally marked sheet of paper is still around today.
"Cars would go by, the lights would start lighting up so it would be something new each time you come around," Cooper said.
"It was just kind of like constant. And the closer you got to Christmas, the more they did," Thomas added.
The star has brought joy to the Coopers in maintaining it throughout the years. Including hanging onto a pole for dear life to change bulbs.
"We never did have to call 911 for doing that, but let me tell you how many times it was close," Thomas shared.
"If there was just a few lights right out, you don't wanna lay the star down because that's a whole another production. Dad made this boom to go on the fork tractor. It was crazy," Thomas continued.
"I've been up on the boom a time or two too. Yeah, that was just kind of you just kind of, you kind of straddled it- you hung on," Cooper noted about his experience swapping bulbs.
So, as Christmas comes around each year, the Coopers have a bright reminder of their family connection, history, and future legacy.
"The biggest thing, it's mom and dad's story, their legacy for my brother," Thomas stated.
