Large Mardi Gras celebrations may have been put on hold this year, but Dennis Murdock saw no reason to scale back on dressing up his Lake Charles home to celebrate carnival season. Murdock spent around 10 hours weaving purple, green and gold fabric around the front porch and upstairs balcony railings of his 601 Hodges St. home, and several additional hours draping the home’s front entrance in Mardi Gras splendor.
Even though this may seem like over-the-top decorating for some folks, Murdock, owner of Crystal’s Downtown and a professional lighting designer, didn’t stop there. He has used his lighting skills to illuminate the house at night, with the colors changing as he sees fit.
At sunrise Wednesday, the house was illuminated with red, white and blue lights for the presidential inauguration. The day before that, the lighting was a somewhat somber amber color to honor the more than 400,000 people in America who have died from COVID-19, Murdock said.
Even when viewed in daylight hours with no illumination, the Murdock home is a bright spot in downtown Lake Charles.
“Anything to lighten the mood during these times is a good thing,” said Murdock.
