July 5, 2020 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
LOCAL
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PA GE 7
BAYSIDE RESIDENT’S FESTIVE DECORATIONS
BRINGS HAPPINESS, SMILES DURING PANDEMIC
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
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 flamingos, colorful
balloons, figurines and Christmas
lights.
Blais’s display is often referred
to as the “fun house” that has attracted
passers-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, ‘Thank 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.
This isn’t the first time Blais
has received a positive response
for his decorations.
Throughout the years, Blais’
home — both the interior and exterior
— decorations have changed
with the seasons and holidays
such as Halloween, Thanksgiving
and Christmas.
“For Christmas, I decorate in
blue, silver and white so when
the holiday is over it drifts into
Valentine’s Day and the windows
Lon Blais’s colorful front lawn display is often referred to as the “fun house” that has easily attracted passers-by who stop to take pictures and video of the
Bayside home. Photo by Carlotta Mohamed/QNS
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.
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
affects people of all ages. Their
lives changed 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 suffer
from the debilitating illness, Blais
retired from his job as a teacher
at M.S. 67 in Little Neck. Soon
thereafter, 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, The 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 after 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.”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed
by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone at
(718) 260–4526.
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