Tyrone’s Yuletyme Christmas celebration is scheduled to kick off tomorrow night with the tree lighting and Christmas parade followed by a fun-filled weekend packed with activities.
With the many participants and activities planned, there surely won’t be a shortage of things to do this weekend.
The Tyrone History Museum has several Christmas displays set up for visitors to enjoy. With the Yuletyme Christmas celebration this weekend, the museum will be open on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. as well as Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
Fran Bigelow has set up her miniature room boxes at the museum for this weekend’s special event. She has been creating these fun miniatures for almost 30 years.
Over the years, Bigelow has displayed a variety of the room boxes including a greenhouse, Christmas shop, post office and book store. This year’s display shows a China shop, needlework shop and a bakery.
Bigelow described the items currently on display as “room boxes with individual miniature settings inside and architectural features added to the outside to give it the appearance of a building.”
While some of Bigelow’s work is completed from kits, many are created from scratch.
Bigelow previously said, “About seventy-five percent of the contents are handmade by myself or friends.”
According to Bigelow, it takes about two weeks to build one of the houses, usually one week to build it and one week to decorate it.
Her houses have been on display at places such as the Bellwood Library and the Tyrone Elementary School.
When asked why she enjoys this hobby, Bigelow explained it is something she can do for and with her family.
As her grandchildren get older, they each receive a special house that Bigelow created just for them. One of her granddaughters asked for a pet shop and she made a barn for her grandson.
Making these houses has also become a family tradition. With help from her grandchildren, Bigelow has created a Halloween witch’s house. Each year the family keeps adding more to the house.
“It’s something we can all do together,” Bigelow said.
Individuals are encouraged to visit this unique display which promises to be an enjoyable experience for both young and old alike.
Individuals are also invited to stop by and take a look at the collection of old Christmas postcards which are displayed throughout the museum. Each postcard depicts a beautifully Christmas scene.
There is also a display featuring the big man himself, Santa Claus.
In 1873 Thomas Nast was billed as “The Prince of Caricaturists”. He popularized the elephant to symbolize the Republican Party and the donkey as the symbol for the Democratic Party. But, the display at the Tyrone History Museum features the “modern” image of Santa Claus.
Nast first drew Santa Claus for the 1862 Christmas season Harper’s Weekly cover and center-fold illustration. When Nast created his image of Santa Claus he was drawing on his native German tradition of Saint Nicholas, a fourth century bishop known for his kindness and generosity. He combined this tradition of Saint Nicholas with other German folk traditions of elves to draw his version of Santa.
With so many interesting displays available, everyone is encouraged to stop by the museum this weekend to take a peak at the miniature room boxes, the postcards from a time past and the Thomas Nast Santa Claus display.
