Phil Hope, owner of Hope\u2019s Foodland in Novar, has put together an incredible Christmas village. From a skating rink to trains and helicopters, the size and detail of the miniature village on display at the grocery store, just a little north of Huntsville, is truly awe inspiring.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not uncommon to see people, young and old, mesmerized by the intricate parts of the village. Sometimes they stand at the entrance for 15 to 20 minutes checking it all out, said Hope.<\/p>\n
“Some are beaming, some actually have a little tear\u2026 it brings back memories of their childhood. Last year we had a family of five generations\u2026 they were here for almost an hour,” said Hope.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been building the village around this time of year for the past six years. It\u2019s seeing children\u2019s eyes light up and people\u2019s curiosity, and sometimes a little nostalgia, that keeps him going.<\/p>\n
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Some of the lanes have been named after ladies who have donated pieces to the village.<\/p><\/div>\n
The miniature village measures roughly 26 by 26 feet and contains about 300 pieces\u2014some of which have been donated by three ladies, one in Huntsville, one in Almaguin and one from Novar. Hope has a sign with some of the lanes named after the ladies whose pieces have contributed to making the village. Included are toys from his grandson and local children.<\/p>\n
It took Hope about three weeks to put the village together. “Get in the spirit, if you like it buy something and donate it to the food bank. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve been doing for the last couple of years to give back to the community sort of thing, and it doesn\u2019t cost anybody anything. I don\u2019t use staff. I just putter at it\u2026 I just get a vision and I start,” said Hope. “Every year is totally different.”<\/p>\n
On occasion, Hope said he\u2019ll get a jab from some of the dads in the community. “They\u2019ll say, \u2018Phil you\u2019ve got to stop doing this, we\u2019ve got to do this at home now.\u2019 So it\u2019s not always a pat on the back,” he quipped. “Sometimes it\u2019s \u2018you\u2019re getting me in trouble.'”<\/p>\n
He also gets people asking him if they can bring in ornaments and add them to the display\u2014things like that are what makes the work worthwhile, he said.<\/p>\n