Elaborate Holiday Light Display Celebrates Blazer Jerome Kersey's Legacy

    PORTLAND, OR, November 12, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A dazzling new holiday light display is being created to honor Trail Blazer Jerome Kersey, who passed away earlier this year. Featuring 3,800 lights, the oversize Christmas decoration dubbed "JK25 Santa Hat" will be displayed on a West Hills home, and will be visible from downtown and southeast Portland. The display is in the final stages of installation, and is due to be switched on this Friday, November 13th.

The project's originator, Ron Sloy, a close friend of Kersey's for over 30 years, wanted to commemorate the Blazer forward in a unique way. "Jerome was an incredible man both on and off the basketball court," says Sloy. "Not only was he a leading player for the Blazers, he was a valuable member of the community, always reaching out to enrich the lives of others." Kersey was involved with supporting local youth groups and was often to be found gathering leftover food after Blazer games and delivering personally to local homeless populations.

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Since Kersey's passing in February, there's been discussion in the Portland basketball community about retiring Kersey's jersey number, 25, in recognition of his stellar performance with the Blazers. His record was near the top of many categories, including games and minutes played, scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, field goals, and blocked shots. According to Bill Schonely, longtime Blazers announcer, Kersey was a talented player who made an impression on everyone he met. Says Schonely, "Jerome was loved by everyone. This unique display will allow Portlanders to celebrate his legacy."

Erecting the giant holiday display was an engineering feat that required precision planning due to the size, design complexity and challenging site conditions. The 32' feet high, 34' wide decoration includes a giant "JK25" Santa hat featuring 3,800 lights set on an aluminum frame and mounted on front of a West Hills home set on a steep slope with sharp drop-off. Designed and built by custom metal fabricator Hanset Stainless, the display has taken six weeks to construct, and a week to install. "This truly was a unique and challenging project," says Shane Crunchie, project manager for Hanset Stainless. "Our whole team was excited to be a part of such a special project to honor a great member of the Portland community." Crunchie believes that the JK25 Santa hat will become a new holiday icon in the Portland night sky.

Sloy says that he will be raising the display every holiday season to remember his friend. "I hope that Portlanders will join me in recognizing all that Jerome did for the Blazers and for our community," he says. "Jerome's number will be hanging high in our night sky for all to see. I hope it will also be hanging from the rafters before too long."

Fans are encouraged to engage in the conversation around retiring Kersey's jersey number by Tweeting #JK25, #retirejerseyJK25.

About Sloy, Dahl & Holst

Sloy, Dahl & Holst, Inc. is a registered, full-service financial advisory firm dedicated to our clients' financial achievement. As a boutique investment house, we tailor every investment portfolio we manage to meet each client's specific goals.

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