By Mike Hazlip—
The homes along Orelle Creek Court in Citrus Heights are known for their annual Christmas lights displays, but one home’s decorations are from a galaxy far, far away.
Pamm and Jerry Kumpf have built up a display featuring Star Wars inflatables over the years that is out of this world.
It began several years ago when Kumpf attempted to purchase an eight foot tall inflatable All Terrain Armored Transport (ATAT) featured in the opening battle of The Empire Strikes Back from an online store. It took her over a year to get the item after being repeatedly told it was out of stock, she told The Sentinel in an interview Thursday.
“Who doesn’t love Star Wars? We’re Marvel and DC Comic freaks and about five years ago I saw this ATAT online so I ordered it. But it took me a year and a half to get it.”
In the meantime, Kumpf added to the display until she now has two ATATs along with an inflatable Millennium Falcon, Storm Troopers, and more recently The Mandalorian figure along with The Child, commonly referred to as “Baby Yoda.”
Most of the homes on Orelle Creek Court have more traditional displays, and Kumpf said she started out that way before deciding to make the jump to hyperspace with her display.
“I had the typical Christmas stuff,” she said. “The Christmas trees, the candy canes, and it was fun, but I just want to be different.”
Kumpf says she has received different reactions from different people, but the kids enjoy the inflatables.
“I thought this is going to be so cool, It’s going to be so different,” she said. “Just didn’t want to be traditional, and either the people love it or hate it. The kids are absolutely going nuts over some of the characters out there. It makes me happy, and it makes them happy, so it’s a win-win for me.”
The only space left is the roof, but Kumpf says she doesn’t get up on the roof after a fall several years ago.
A few inflatables were damaged in the recent storms, Kumpf says, and she has had an attempted theft last week, but that hasn’t deterred her from keeping the display up. Kumpf has taken steps to protect the inflatables and make it more difficult to steal.
Kumpf and her husband have an 18-year-old granddaughter, and she says bringing joy to the children that stop by the court is the force behind her hard work: “This is what it’s all about.”
