A Skyway couple won the West Hill decorating contest with a sense of humor – Christmas lights that danced to music and a replica of the leg lamp in “A Christmas Story.”

The contest is a part of a larger revitalization effort in Skyway, which picked up speed in 2009. The hope is to draw in more community members to the effort.

“It’s more than just the things that you might see on the street,” said Jeremy Valenta, a King County coordinator of the community enhancement initiative. “It’s also about the relationships that people are building between individuals and between groups.”

The hope of these events is to draw in more people, Valenta said.

The contest worked for winner Daniel Smith, who plans to get more involved with Skyway Solutions.

“We entered (the contest) for a chuckle,” he said. “I was pretty happy with what they’re trying to do.”

Skyway Solutions is a local group that spun out of a revitalization effort by King County.

The grassroots group centered its vision earlier this year on improving safety and creating a sense of neighborhood pride.

The small events are also helping to develop community leaders, Valenta said. “People are building skills through their experiences in working together.”

The decorating contest had 16 entrants for its first year, though only one business entered.

“We had a hard time getting the businesses to participate, because they are so sort of depressed and stressed out,” said contest organizer Michele Savelle. “It was just one more thing.”

Another goal of the group is to revitalize the business district.

“We need to attract businesses,” she said. “There are empty spaces, which attract…crime like graffiti and vandalism.”

Skyway’s rate of violent crime is rising, Valenta said.

However, a similar program started five years ago in White Center has shown some success, he said.

The county doesn’t have much money to put into neighborhoods. It’s trying to be creative, he said.

Gentrification, the improving of a neighborhood to the point that residents can’t afford to live there, is also a fear, he added.

“It’s more than just giving the neighborhood a coat of paint,” he said. “We recognized…that the community needed to be stronger in order to better advocate for itself, in order to better lead revitalization efforts.”