Freak accident puts 'Woodinville Wonderland' in jeopardy

For 10 years Mark Zembruski has put on a Christmas light display at his house on 23620 NE 183rd St in Woodinville.
 
"That's really all about is being part of somebody else's tradition, being part of somebody else's Christmas memories and having them think back," said Zembruski.
 
It almost didn't happen this year because he fell off his roof setting up the day before Thanksgiving.
 
"When my foot went on the ladder, my the ladder went over that way and my weight was already centered off the roof so I really had nowhere to go," said Zembruski.
 
The accident landed him in the hospital for four days and left him with a compound fracture in his wrist.
 
"You do get into a routine. You get comfortable. When I get on that roof, I am very comfortable, I am balanced. I understand what I'm doing," Zembruski said. He added that when he fell, he was tired, "having very little sleep, being in a hurry. I probably shouldn't have prioritized what i was trying to get done."
 
Zembruski said his display includes 125,000 lights, one of the biggest home displays in the state.
 
He was supposed to have it ready for the public on December 1. Now he's hoping it will be ready for visitors by next Monday at the latest.
 
Friends like Ken Collins, who has his own home display in Aberdeen, are helping to make sure the 'Woodinville Wonderland' opens.
 
"We kind of just a family or network of people that do these displays, so yeah, we'll help each other," Collins said. He added, "You get totally committed for the project, so that's what you kind of live and breathe for right now."
 
Zembruski said he invests in the display personally with his wife, and any donations that visitors give are donated to the Northshore Wranglers, a recreation program for people with special needs, and to the Washington Special Olympics.
 
He said that his freak accident is a reminder for anyone putting up holiday displays.
 
"It doesn't matter what you're doing and where you're at in your setup process. You just absolutely need to make sure you understand where you (are) at all times, keep focused on where you're at all times, and just never forget roofs and ladders are (a) combination for disaster and if you just take it carelessly, that will be what happens," said Zembruski.
 
Zembruski said his recovery will take at least six weeks.

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