By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
ROCKWELL ó There’s a new addition to the Historic Rockwell Museum’s annual Festival of Trees this year ó a miniature snow village replicating a series of nostalgic Currier and Ives prints.
Mallory Allen of nearby St. James Lutheran Church spent almost 100 hours setting up her collectible miniatures for tonight’s 6 to 8 opening, which will also feature nine Christmas trees decorated by churches, civic organizations and one individual.
Santa will be there for children, refreshments will be served and music will be provided by the Piedmont Primetime Community Band Ensemble. Admission is free.
The eighth annual Festival of Trees will continue daily at the museum, located at 102 E. Main St., through Dec. 14. Hours are 6 to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays.
Highlighted by the museum’s track lights for a test run Wednesday night, the miniature village seemed to come to life with the magic of Christmas.
Mallory Allen’s husband, Walt, helped build the base for the village, extending the cabinets in the middle of the museum to 20 feet.
Next came the wiring for lights in the various buildings, street lamps and tiny spotlights placed discreetly throughout the scenes based on the 19th Century lithographs created by New York City printmakers Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives.
A flicker bulb gives a realistic look to a miniature bonfire made from real twigs.
Once the wiring was in place, Mallory covered it with polystyrene panels, using various tools to form the terrain. Snow blankets, some covering fiberfill snow banks, help complete the winter scene.
She even made a waterfall ó her very first ó for the exhibit.
The Allens used white plastic lattice to create a fence around the village and decorated it with garland and silver ice crystals.
Mallory, who took vacation time from her job to put together the exhibit, used 20 Currier and Ives scenes, adding to them with her other miniatures and handmade creations. The haystack in a barn scene, for example, is actually tan yarn fringe on an egg-shaped piece of Styrofoam with some snow paint on top.
The exhibit includes hundreds of trees, most of them evergreens. Mallory made some of the bare trees herself. The birch trees, for example, are actually floral wire covered with white floral tape, which she highlighted with gray paint.
Mallory said she’s thankful duct tape, electrical tape and floral tape are available in white. She used all three types.
Outbuildings, horse-drawn carriages, sleds and wagons, all kinds of animals and figurines of ice skaters, children throwing snowballs and various other villagers bring the village to life.
Several surprises are scattered throughout the village. Mallory said people who look carefully might spot a boy and girl kissing, a deer on a cliff of the waterfall and a moose in the trees.
She has collected miniatures since 2001, when she bought a wooden gazebo for Walt as a joke. They had been talking about building a gazebo for some time, and she couldn’t resist buying a miniature version when she spotted it at Lowe’s.
The next year, when the store put its Christmas decorations on sale, Mallory bought the Currier and Ives “Allen House” scene for Walt. “When he looked at it, he said it looked like his grandparents’ house,” she said.
That was the beginning of what has become a passionate and growing collection for Mallory. She filled the back of their pickup with boxes of miniatures for the exhibit and still had to transport some in her car.
The nine decorated trees line both sides of the village exhibit. They were decorated by the American Legion Junior Auxiliary, the Red Hatters, AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, Lions Club, Living Water Church, Ursinus United Church of Christ, Rockwell Eastern Star, Christiana Preschool and Jean Puckett, president of the Rockwell Historic Society, which sponsors the festival. Puckett decorated a tree with his collection of gold filigree ornaments.
Two beauty queens ó Miss Poppy (13-year-old Kristen Harwood) and Little Miss Poppy (11-year-old Taylor Starnes) ó helped decorate the American Legion Junior Auxiliary tree Wednesday evening.
Joined by fellow member and Starnes’ sister, Savanna, they meticulously placed their ornament creations featuring red paper poppies made by disabled veterans on the tree.
President Gina Starnes, mother of Taylor, and adviser Tonya Harwood, stepmother of Kristen and Savanna, helped out.
Gina Starnes said the queens will be wearing their crowns and formal dresses at tonight’s opening. “They’re working queens,” she said. “They have to get out and promote and publicize.”
Also on Wednesday, Wadene and Benny Drew added the finishing touches to the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary tree decorated with red, white and blue ornaments. Wadene set out a bucket filled with soft peppermints.
The peppermints, a token of appreciation for all who turn out, were a real hit last year, she said.