Your ultimate guide to holiday lights starts with family’s newest display

Raine Jerke remembers the magic of loading up into the family car after Thanksgiving supper each year as a child, setting out to admire Christmas light displays with his parents and grandparents.

It’s a memory he cherishes, filled with laughter and warmth.

Decades later, Jerke, a Sioux Falls real estate agent, is keeping that magic alive for other families in the Sioux Falls area.

Instead of taking his family out for a drive to look at light displays, his family has started their own tradition of lighting up their house each year with a lively show.

“I’ve always loved Christmas lights and going out with the family,” Jerke said. “I wanted to do something that was above and beyond.”

The Jerke Christmas light display is a 25-minute light show set to music at their home at 7800 S. Brande Park Circle, running from 5:30 to 10 p.m. each night through the end of December. Jerke’s family helps run cables and cords for the display, and his children helped build a hot cocoa stand for passersby this year.

Not only is it a tradition for his family, but Jerke’s neighbors have joined in this year. The mesmerizing light show isn’t just for festivities either — it’s a fundraiser for a worthy cause.

Jerke and his family are raising donations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire, an organization that supports children and their education.

For families that drive by to admire the light display, Jerke hopes that they’ll consider aiding others in their community. His 13- and 15-year-old children also help by handing out candy canes and hot cocoa most nights.

“For me, it’s just a way to give back in a fun and festive way,” Jerke said. “It’s a way to teach my kids to give back to the community. We’re blessed and lucky to be able to put on a light show like this with neighbors who join in. I want to pass that mindset onto my kids as they donate their time and raise money for a good cause. It teaches them to be thankful for what we have.”

This is the fifth year the Jerkes have been raising money with their light display, although they used to live in another part of Sioux Falls. The family didn’t move into their new home near 85th Street and Western Avenue last year until it was too late in the season to put up decorations, so they did not have a full light display last year.

The Jerkes have raised money for the Children’s Home Society and other organizations through the years. Jerke hopes to raise between $3,000 and $5,000 by Christmas Eve.

A secure box for donations sits in front of the house, monitored by several cameras. Jerke also takes Venmo donations at @raine-jerke for those without cash on hand.

The light show will be up through New Year’s Eve, and the Jerkes will fundraise through Christmas Eve.

Christmas light guide

Here’s the ultimate Sioux Falls Christmas light guide (combined from the Sioux Falls Christmas Light map and Dakota Holidays):

• Winter Wonderland at the Falls, 900 N. Phillips Ave.

• Bent Grass, 5201 W. Bent Grass St.

• Grasslands Christmas, 2805 N. Lyme Grass Ave.

• Star of the East, 701 to 1016 N. Savannah Drive.

• Washington Pavilion Tree, 301 S. Main Ave.

• KELOLAND Tower,  501 S. Phillips Ave.

• Lights on Phillips, 598 S. to 337 N. Phillips Ave.

• Holidays on Presentation Court, 3022 N. Presentation Court.

• Light Display,- 927 N. Minnesota Ave.

• Snowflake Lane, 804 S. Lowell Ave.

• Candy Cane Lane, 840 S. Day Ave.

• Making Spirits Bright, 2905 E. 22nd St.

• Penguin Lane, 1712 to 1300 S. Point Drive.

• Church Lane, 940 to 502 S. Churchill Ave.

• Sioux Falls Christmas Village, 845 S. Day Ave.

• Santa’s Sleigh, 600 S. Edward Drive.

• Polar Bear Lane, 204 N. Penstemon Ave.

• Water Wood Wonderland, 8301 E. Water Wood St.

• Archway Avenue,- 4700 S. Kyle Ave.

• Fireplace Lane, 4701 S. Fireside Ave.

• Train Lane, 4309 S. Magnolia Ave.

• Tree of Color, 3521 S. Spencer Blvd.

• Tree of White,- 3816 S. Slaten Park Drive.

• North Pole Circle, 3600 S. Lewis Court.

• Candy Land Lane, 1805 E. Arrowhead Pass.

• Lights on Lotta, 311 W. Lotta St.

• Lights and Sounds of Christmas, 805 W. 13th St.

• Myers’ Lights and Inflatable Display, 1819 S. Hawthorne Ave.

• Luminary Lane at 5 to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 18,  26th Street and Hawthorne Avenue.

• Christmas Magic in Sioux Falls, 2005 S. Phillips Ave.

• Sioux Falls Christmas Trees, 301 E. 27th St.

• Christmas Story, 1815 S. Fourth Ave.

• House of Kriz, 2205 S. Crestwood Road

• Western Wonderland, 2220 W, Cherrywood Circle.

• Brande Christmas Lights, 7800 S. Brande Park Circle.

• Christmas Tree Lane, South Graystone Avenue.

• Burns So Bright, 2718 S. Burns Knoll Circle.

• Tribbey Trail, 4301 S. Tribbey Trail.

• Interactive Display 97.7 FM, 7612 W. President St.

• Christmas Video Projection, 7001 W. 66th St.

• Ice Capade, 7001 S. Redstone Ave.

• Holiday on Holbrook, 5700 S. Holbrook Ave.

• Western Wonderland, 2101 W. Black Rock Circle.

• Jacob’s Lightshow, 7205 W. 64th St.