“Intense” is how Joey Felix recounted the last few hours of Patch’s Deck the House contest.

The contest saw Felix’s Dallas home and a house in Coventry, R.I., run neck-and-neck until the very end Friday at noon. When the dust settled, the local entry stood atop the field of 25 entries with nearly 11,000 online votes—about 300 ahead of the Coventry home’s total.

The win will pay off for Paulding County Schools, as the district will be awarded $100,000 from Patch. The check is expected to be presented during a local presentation early in 2013.

A day after the contest concluded, Felix spoke to Dallas-Hiram Patch about winning it and how countless others helped him with his home's decorations and in promoting his contest entry. He also addressed how he would like to see the school system spend the prize money. See the interview in its entirety in the attached video.

For those who have not seen the Felix home’s display, Felix says he expects tonight to be the last night the lights will shine at 224 Oliver Overlook in Dallas, as he plans to begin taking it down on New Year’s Day, though he may leave the display in place another day or two depending on the weather. Passers-by tonight likely will be able to see the display in action until just after midnight—a little later than Felix’s typical 11 p.m. shutoff due to the New Year’s Eve holiday.

Return to Dallas-Hiram Patch for updates.

You can keep up with all the news in Dallas and Hiram by subscribing to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts, liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter. We also have apps for your Android or iPhone that can bring you news, our business listings, weather forecasts and more.