Standing amidst the snowflocked, sparkling whimsy of the Christmas Village exhibit now on display at the Jerauld County Courthouse, one would never guess that the idea for the holiday attraction was born during a hot, sunny day at the Springs Country Club this past summer.
“Teresa Fonder was talking about ‘Christmas at the Courthouse’ and how she and other county employees wanted to try something different in an effort to draw more people back to the annual event,” said Gloria Vavra. “She brought up my Christmas village and Becky (Thompson) shared that she had a village she’d be willing to add to the display.”
The idea took hold throughout the fall season and last week, after two and a half days of set up, the courthouse community room has been transformed into a dazzling winter wonderland.
Thompson and Vavra encourage the community to view the exhibit to not only get into the Christmas spirit but also because this is a one-time effort.
“This is a ‘one and done,’” laughed Thompson about the elaborate display.
Both women express thanks for help carrying boxes upon boxes containing village contents to local high school students: Richard Cardona, Ridge Roduner, Sam Poncelow, Blake Miller, Luke Larson, Max Klein and Peyton Walz.
“We also want to thank Lila Hoffman who came in to help unpack everything. And to Teresa (Fonder) who is so creative and has been a big help,” shared Vavra.
Thompson started collecting her pieces in 1988, when the Department 56 Dickens Village “White Horse Bakery” first came out.
“That was my first piece. It started to grow over the years as my family would give me pieces and I would buy pieces too,” Thompson remembers. 'I finally had to stop collecting because I ran out of room.” Vavra’s vast collection began with a piece named “Sophie’s Sweet Shop,” given to her by her mother in 1992 and it quickly caught on as an easy gift to give her for Christmases and birthdays. Now 31 years later, her village has grown to well over 200 pieces.
“I have everything from carnival to farm, lighthouses and seashore to city, playground and even a Sioux Falls collection,” Vavra explained. “I have multiple churches and multiple bowling alleys but no two pieces are alike. One time I discovered I had two of the same piece and gave it to my nephew. This collection has no duplicates.”
Vavra, who continues to add to her collection by browsing online rummage sites and after-Christmas holiday sales, seeks out pieces that are unique and will fit into her expansive collection. Made famous locally from open houses she has held in her home over the decades, she looks forward to sharing the magic of her collection with the community.
“Here at the courthouse, I hope to share it with even more people this year,” Vavra expressed, with Thompson adding, as she looked around the room, that the courthouse community room truly “seemed to fit what we had.”
Typically the first holiday decor she puts up each year, Thompson recalls several years back when she and husband Ronnie were living in Texas, preparing for a visit from kids Chad and Sara Thompson and their three sons JD, Tucker and Brody.
“That year I said I wasn’t going to put the village up,” Thompson remembers with a smile. “Ronnie said, wait, what? Well you have to put it out, you have to do it for the boys!”
Both Thompson and Vavra recognize that kids of all ages enjoy the Christmas villages but it is witnessing the children’s reactions that is a true gift. They shared that last week while setting up the display at the courthouse, a young boy came in and was in complete awe.
“He didn’t touch a thing but he got really close to the displays so he could look at all the details, characters and decorations inside,” Vavra said. “The kids that have been by go around to each table and especially enjoy the carnival and toy display — the ones that make the most noise.”
The exhibit is open for viewing Monday through Friday during normal business hours at the courthouse and is also open on two special weekends: December 16 and 17 from 1 - 4 p.m. and December 23 from 12 - 3 p.m.
When asked why the two friends decided to display their collections with the community, they looked at each other and smiled.
“We always get along so well, we seem to finish each others thoughts,” said Thompson with a chuckle. “We enjoy creating a great experience for people — whether it’s at the golf course or here. Maybe this experience will come to mind during future Christmases, maybe they’ll remember something they saw here and and think later on in life, ‘wow, that was so cool.’” “Or it also might inspire someone to start a Christmas Village of their own,” Vavra suggested. “It’s been a joy for us all of these years. This year we welcome kids of all ages to enjoy it. It’s our own little gift for the community.”