SMETHPORT — Santa Claus and eight reindeer have come home to Smethport!
In this case, the jolly old man and the reindeer are the hand-painted figures on Masonite designed and manufactured at America’s First Christmas Store, which closed its doors in 2005 after 70 years in business.
In 1935, store owner Leonard Brynolf Johnson, a registered pharmacist, turned his hobby of making outdoor displays with a Christmas theme into a lucrative business that kept a considerable number of employees working year-round to meet international demand. During the 1950s, one of his displays could be seen at the headquarters of the North America Treaty Organization in Belgium.
Another Smethport resident, Herb Johnson, who held an art degree from The Pennsylvania State University, was the chief designer and also headed the art team. His daughter, Marilyn Rosenswie of Smethport, said, “Dad was still working at this job when he was in his 80s.”
According to Craig Funk of Smethport, who is leading the “Bring Santa Home for Christmas” project, this particular display dates back to the early days of the business. “This is pre-Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and consists of a Santa, which stands five feet tall and is three feet wide; the sled that is seven feet long and four feet high; and each reindeer is approximately five feet tall and five feet wide. The entire display is 24 feet long. Our goal is to have this display back in town and on the courthouse lawn in time for Christmas.”
That goal has been achieved.
It was through a post on Facebook that Funk learned that this display was for sale on eBay. He reposted the item sent to him and initiated a fundraising drive, of which he was the first contributor with a $100 donation.
“Before I knew it, donations were rolling in pretty fast,” Funk told The Era, “but I knew it would tough to reach the listed price of $4,500 on such short notice, especially since it was so close to Christmas.”
Next, Funk contacted the display’s current owners in Franklin, Ohio, near Cincinnati, identified himself as a Smethport resident and explained his intentions of having the display returned to its place of origin.
According to the owners, the display had never been outdoors. They had kept it in storage for the past 30 years and before that it was displayed in a department store. This gentle care has kept the figures’ original condition and colors in pristine condition.
Efforts to sell the display on eBay were unsuccessful.
“This was great for us,” Funk told the owners. “I said I would make one bid and one bid only when we exhausted our plea for pledges.”
On Dec. 11, Funk offered a bid of $1,800, which was accepted, and the owners were estatic to know the display would be returning to Smethport and were very accommodating in helping to arrange its arrival before Christmas.
“This display will be donated to the McKean County Historical Society with the stipulation that it will be displayed annually at Christmas for everyone to enjoy,” Funk noted. Bart Barton accepted the display on behalf of the society.
To date, the contributions have reached $1,900. Any excess funds will be used for lighting, a back support and storage case and a plaque listing the names of the donors.
Besides Funk and his wife, Ruth, other donors are Julie Elliott Swingle, Barb Snyder Stambaugh, Eileen Nannen, Doug and Judy Smith, Tim Linnan, Virginia Caruso, Mike Burlingame, Ed Hess, Billie Baker Barnish, Brian and Joan Nelson Schultz, Nancy Nelson and Rhonda Collins.
Also, Leah Burlingame Frederick, T.J. Reap, Kraig and Brendda Okerlund, Penny Robey Williams, Liz Reap Carlson, Scot Guenteer, Claudia Chapman Stein, Ben and Barb Ball, Bill Davis, Jeff Lightner, Karen Reap, John Snyder and the McKean County Historical Society.
“Something that amazed me,” Funk said, “is that 17 of the 25 donors were Smethport residents at one time, but don’t live here anymore; they still have fond memories of home and Christmas in a small town and wanted to be part of this project.”
One of Funk’s classmates in the Smethport Area High School Class of 1978, Barb Snyder Stambaugh, lives about two and one-half hours from Franklin, Ohio, and she and her husband, both project donors, offered to drive to that town, pick up the display and drive it to Akron, Ohio, where they would meet Funk for the display’s final journey to Smethport.
The display arrived back in Smethport over this past weekend and assembled. It is on the State Street side of the courthouse on West Main Street.
While finding this a very rewarding endeavor as he thanked the donors, Funk added, “The Christmas spirit is still very much alive in our small town.”
