GARYVILLE, La. (WGNO) — Bonfires lined the levees in the river parishes, with the main attraction being a 15-foot-tall reindeer named Roux-dolph. The reindeer with a light up nose took weeks to complete. "Actual construction for 15-16 days, plan portion of a star mid-summer and it wasn't an everyday thing. It's like, when you got time to sit down and draw a little bit, figure out. We built a model around October, figure out how to build a thing and re-create it on a larger scale once. The same process we used every year," Roux-dolph creator Josh Weidert said. Puppeteer shares how Mr. Bingle first got his strings Josh Weidert and his crew "Blood, Sweat & bonfires" are known for attracting large crowds to their extravagant bonfires over the past 14 years. "We've done a goldfish, a pelican, alligator, crawfish, crab. We've done guitars, historical, landmark buildings. Around here we've done dedication bonfires, just a bunch of stuff we've done so far," Weidert said. Hundreds of people came out to take photos with Roux-dolph. Once the clock struck seven, the crew set a torch to Roux-dolph, who was also wrapped in firecrackers. "It was loud very loud and a very hot in your face, but it was cool. It was cool," Ingrid Palacios said." In River Ridge, it’s not-so-secret Santa "I didn't want to burn. ... They look really good man. I was someone, I didn't want to see, but that's what has to happen, so," Quinton Knowlton said. Many of the guests say this is a tradition they hope never goes away. "It's just so beautiful that this happens once a year and that I got to be a part of it," Rose Bizer said. "It's just a great tradition knowing that we light the way for Papa Noel, so it's been a great tradition that I just learned about recently, within the last four or five years, and so now I've made it a tradition," Terry Latiolais said. Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter. Latest Posts Body found in wheel well of United Airlines flight from Chicago to Maui Lunchtime Christmas weather update What to know about death of a woman set on fire in NYC subway Home for the Holidays: From homeless to homeowner 15-foot reindeer takes over River Parish bonfire celebration