8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 2, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Bayside resident’s festive front yard decorations brings
happiness and smiles during COVID-19 pandemic
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A Bayside resident is bringing a smile to
people’s faces with his festive front lawn
decorations.
As one drives down Bell Boulevard, one
might notice Lon Blais’s creative summer
decorations of vibrant pink fl amingos,
colorful balloons, fi gurines and Christmas
lights. Blais’s display is oft en referred to as
the “fun house” that has attracted passers
Photos by Carlotta Mohamed/QNS
Bayside resident Lon Blais
by who stop to take pictures and video
of the home at 33-58 Bell Blvd.
It’s a site you can’t miss, especially at
night when the twinkling lights illuminate
the front yard.
“What I love is when people walk by
with the look of ‘What’s this?’ on their
faces and they end up smiling. I love that,”
Blais said. “Some people walk by and say,
‘Th ank you, this cheers me up’ and I’m not
even done yet — there’s more!’”
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Blais left a bowl of chalk on his
driveway inviting people to write messages
and draw pictures. Every once in a
while, a new item is placed on the lawn,
Blais said.
“No one has ever stolen anything or
written anything inappropriate and that
says something about community and
what this does,” Blais said.
Th is isn’t the fi rst time Blais has received
a positive response for his decorations.
Th roughout the years, Blais’ home — both
the interior and exterior — decorations
have changed with the seasons and holidays
such as Halloween, Th anksgiving
and Christmas.
“For Christmas, I decorate in blue, silver
and white so when the holiday is over
it drift s into Valentine’s Day and the windows
are done, too,” Blais said. “In the
summer, it’s kind of like a sad day when I
have to start putting up the corn cobs and
the pumpkins and stuff because this is just
ridiculously fun.”
Blais’ wife loves to tease him about his
decorations, but it’s all in good humor,
he said. Bayside resident Lon Blais Blais
and his wife previously lived in an apartment
nearby the Bay Terrace Shopping
Center. According
to Blais, his wife
became ill with
cytomegalovirus,
which
aff ects people
of all ages.
Their lives
c h a n g e d
when
they purchased their home on Bell
Boulevard.
“I used to tell my wife that if we have a
house of our own, it will be about a celebration,”
Blais said. “She was really ill at
the time with a migraine and was sleeping
at least 16 to 18 hours a day. It’s something
she’s been dealing with for the past
27 years of her life.”
As his wife continued to suff er from
the debilitating illness, Blais retired from
his job as a teacher at M.S. 67 in Little
Neck. Soon thereaft er, he returned to theater,
launched a web series, and wrote
a one-man show touring the country
and performing in Bayside. Additionally,
Blais established his own business, Th e
Neighborhood Angel, which provides
services such as clean-outs, junkyard
removal, reorganization and
heavy chores.
According to Blais, as his
wife became better, the idea
came to mind aft er neighbors
came by asking if he
could lend a hand helping
them with one thing or another
around their homes, which
they couldn’t handle on their
own.
“At the time, I thought
nothing of it, but when
someone said, ‘Thank
you Lon, you’re an angel’
I said, ‘Wow, look at me, I’m the neighborhood
angel,’” Blais said. Instead of disposing
of the furniture and other items he
removes from homes, Blais brings it to his
home and gives it away for free.
“Why junk it when someone else could
use it?” Blais said. “Now, I send an email
list to my piranhas, whom I lovingly call,
providing help for someone.”
Blais said he tries to radiate positivity
during a time when the community
is adjusting to a “new normal” amid the
pandemic.
“I always say if you’re really upset, the
best thing you can do is roll up your
sleeves and help someone because if you
make it outside of yourself, if you focus
on your problems you really focus on your
problems,” Blais said. “Nothing will make
you feel better than helping someone else.”
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