With the rise of COVID-19 and the lockdowns in 2020, one couple's backyard became a hub of excitement.

Stuart and Deb Beirnes had decorated their yard with lawn ornaments for some time, changing things around every now and again just for some visual variety.

One day a young onlooker took notice.

"The little guy from next door said, 'You moved those, right.' And I had to think, and I said, 'Haven't you seen Toy Story.' He said, 'No.' And I said, 'Well, all the animals and toys come alive at night, and they run around all night long. Then as soon as you get up in the morning, they just go poof, and they just stay where they're at.' That's how it all started," said Deb.

"Which then meant that we had to continue... So we started doing it more often for him, and then it just grew," said Stuart.

They've done several different themes including sports games and vaccine lines with social distancing and masks.

"We would have people come by just to say thank you. And we would watch the kids, and they just loved it. So that became the motivator for us was just to do something different with the toys or the animals each week to give the kids something to get excited about again," said Stuart.

Stuart has a background in oil and gas and used to work as a product specialist until companies started to downsize in the early stages of the pandemic last year.

He'd had interviews but when Deb became ill with a ruptured brain aneurysm in August, he didn't even think of it for several months as he focused on helping her recover.

Deb understands the isolation and loneliness people have gone through with the pandemic. She had to spend a lot of time in hospitals where her family wasn't allowed to visit due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"The last month with no contact, that was the hardest because I was in my own little world in the brain, so without family contact, I thought I was just put away in this institution."

She can relate to how devastating it is for seniors who have been isolated from family.

The yard display was on the back burner during that time, but with Deb doing well, it's going strong again, and they're adding new fixtures to the collection.

It's become a bit of a family thing with their daughter Chrissy did some displays for them when they were away, and they're always happy when any of their five grandchildren contribute with painted rocks and such.

Children on walks will race to get to the fence first, and some daycare groups also bring their children for visits. From youngsters to adults, they're putting smiles on the faces of everyone who stops by their backyard.

"That wasn't our goal originally. We were just amusing ourselves, and then it grew. And now we can't control it," said Stuart.

 

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