American society has been inundated with a plethora of fat-free foods and fad diets, but every once in a while the average person needs to satisfy their sweet tooth. It’Sugar, the two-story all sweets candy store at The Pier at Caesars in Atlantic City, NJ has brought light to the boardwalk satisfying everyone’s craving.
Newly debuted, this summer season was the first for the one-of-a-kind life-size replica of Margate’s infamous Lucy the Elephant, constructed from over one million Jelly Belly jellybeans. Although Lucy stands tall above the registers next to containers of assorted jelly beans, the special Shooga Bear light show in the forefront of the store is definitely a show stopper. “Everyone loves it,” Sean Roberts, the store’s operations manager, said. “It’s a big hit, especially at night when it’s a little darker, the lights show better.”
Playing every 15 minutes, Shooga Bear sings and dances in the center along with his two candy wrapper friends to provide customer entertainment. The colorful High End Systems lights reflect on and around the stage as the group moves to the beat with a sure sugar rush. “Each character had specific times to speak and the lighting helps signify which band member is singing,” owner Jeff Rubin, the brainchild behind FAO Schweetz, says.
But all of this excitement wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the equipment Starlite Productions of Cherry Hill, NJ provided. Three white Studio Color 250 automated wash fixtures and a Wholehog 3 PC DMX widget present the distinct lighting effects. Starlite Production’s field service technician Mark Grady used the Wholehog 3 controller to program the fixtures. The performance was then transferred to an Alcorn McBride LightCue DMX Recorder, which trigger the lights to play back in time with the animatronics and background music. “It’s supposed to look like a rock concert,” Roberts notes. “We wanted a lot of activity because it’s on the corner of the boardwalk and can draw people into the store.”
Starlite Productions worked in conjunction with Connecticut-based MorseHarris Project Management Company, which also designed Times Square's Hershey Chocolate World, to achieve the desired effect. It’Sugar has become the first stop among many high end stores along The Pier. According to Roberts, the light show sparks people’s curiosity as they pass by on the boards. “People want to come in and see what’s going on,” he says. “It’s a big attraction to the store.”
