Wanting to see a local favourite tradition carry on, a Williams Lake couple has purchased a Penguin Express Christmas display to create a light show in their yard at 1526 Dog Creek Road and fundraise for the Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre (CCCDC).
David Stevenson moved to the lakecity 17 years ago and said his wife Stephanie grew up in Williams Lake and loves Christmas.
It was Ken Berry, a teacher of Stephanie’s, and his wife Julia, who originally started hosting the display at their property on Country Club Boulevard and the Stevensons loved going to see the display each year.
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When the Berrys moved away, others picked up the torch including Mike Jones and then Cindy Heimlich, who purchased the Penguin Express and displayed it at her Western Avenue property.
“Every Christmas we would see that Penguin Express train set up and this year we talked about it and wondered if we were going to see it set up,” Stevenson said Monday evening.
When he found out from a friend who had the set, he stopped by and asked if they wanted to sell it to him.
With the Penguin Express in his possession, he started creating the display a few days ago and already it is gaining popularity.
They are still adding more lights and are awaiting for some more things to arrive in the mail to add to the display.
“Some things may not arrive until after Christmas, but next year we will get started earlier. Our kids love it and all our friends’ kids love to get out and run around the train and look at the lights.”
Stevenson enjoys the season and has been Santa for children’s Christmas parties in the past, following in his father’s footsteps who would visits St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.
Smiling he added for the display Stephanie is the curator and he is the ‘putter upper.’
Between Dec. 23 to Jan. 1 the Stevensons will be collecting donations for the CCCDC where their four-and-a-half-year-old son attends and a nephew did previously.
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