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WINDOW vĂ€ÂœÂ“ĂŠÂŤ>}iĂŠĂŠ ÂŁ sculptor and illustrator Don Johnson to create “Oscarâ€? the elf, a character who appears each year in the story line. Johnson illustrates the story and meticulously sculpts the characters before animator Dennis Baker works to mechanize their movements. Kathy describes Johnson as a perfectionist, something she thinks stems from his previous
work as a pattern maker. “I always tell him, ‘Don, you’re too picky,’� she said. Creating the display is a year-round effort, beginning just after the new year. Once the team of volunteers has settled on a story line, they then sculpt, animate and dress the characters from a workshop. Elements then are installed in the storefront a little bit
at a time. “What I do is make sure it will fit into the dimensional confines of the space. I have to work on it (in my shop) before it goes into fine assembly in the window,� David said. There are just 14 inches of work space to move around in once the team begins setting up window scenes at the hotel. “We are constantly changing
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4HIS S POSTCARD DRAWING OF 7OLF $ESSAUER DEPARTMENT STORE BRINGS BACK MEMORIES FOR MANY &ORT 7AYNE RESIDENTS WHO USED TO INCLUDE ITS #HRISTMAS LIGHTING AND WINDOW DISPLAYS AMONG THEIR ANNUAL HOLIDAY TRADITIONS how we do things. It has been a learning process,� he said. They have come a long way: In their first year, the husband and wife team used mechanisms from toys to animate window figures. At the time, they didn’t realize once the figures were installed in the display, freezing temperatures would cause their movements to slow down. But Baker, the son of a family friend, came to the rescue in 2009 with
pneumatics, or air-powered animatronics, which are unaffected when temperatures plummet. The display also improves each year as Johnson adds more handmade figures to its cast of characters, which will eventually give the windows a more unified look and feel, Kathy said. And with every story line, the community becomes more familiar with Oscar the elf and his haphazard holiday adventures. This year, a misunder-
standing with sleepy Santa Claus will send Oscar the elf on a wild goose chase to find a “whatchamacallit,â€? all the while running into colorful characters along the way. The window’s official reveal is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, during the Night of Lights. David said he hopes what they’re doing will keep a “threadâ€? of tradition -iiĂŠWINDOW, ÂŤ>}iĂŠ ĂŽ
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