CLEARFIELD – Although she hopes the Santa House will be a “jewel box of wonderment” for both children and adults alike, project chairwoman Keely Casteel would like the structure to radiate more than Christmas spirit.
“Our hope is to exude a feeling of warmth that hopefully is more than any gas fireplace will give off. We want to exude a happiness that is more than a gift from Santa,” she said.
“Many people have dedicated a lot of time and effort for this project. We hope the end result radiates all of the spirit that a united small town is about.”
She said the structure, which is located in the Shaw Public Library Courtyard, was not in the plans last year. But she said that Mayor Patty Gilliland “started down her service road” and brought the project to fruition.
Casteel said the project was passed by the Clearfield Borough Council in June 2006 with the plans that it would be a permanent Santa structure. The original plans were donated by Jennifer Rowels – an Ohio architect – who grew up in the area.
She said the structure is now being built by students at the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center. She said they work at the site for about an hour-and-a-half each day, when the weather permits them to do so.
“We couldn’t have done it without them,” Casteel said.
Robin Steffan, carpentry instructor at the CCCTC, said the center’s drafting program designed the structure.
He said the structure will feature a cathedral ceiling and be complete with a fireplace and a chair for Santa, of course.
“We’re giving it that warm, cozy feeling,” Steffan said. He said a sound system will bring the experience even more so to life with some holiday music.
He said the exterior will be made of stone and white stucco. He noted that Santa’s visitors will get a peek at his home from the outside, as the doors will be full glass.
“From either direction, they’ll have a full view of the inside from the outside,” Steffan said.
However, Casteel says the home isn’t about Santa at all but inspiring youth and realizing the gifts the community holds.
Throughout its construction, she said local professionals who work in carpentry, electric and masonry have visited the site and spoken to the students about future opportunities in those trades.
“Truly, it is a project that’s more than just Santa,” she said. “It will be one of those life experiences that these students not only look fondly back upon, but will also move forward with a deepened sense of community.”
Casteel also said it has been wonderful to see the outpouring of generosity from local businesses and the resources that they make available.
She noted the stone, which will be used for the outside of the structure, has ties and was cut from a central Pennsylvania quarry and came courtesy of Russell Stone Products.
“They have reopened a number of quarries in the region that were quite active and a major industry in the early 1900’s,” Casteel said.
“Now, they’re shipping stone all over the world from right here in central Pennsylvania.” She said the stone will be featured in a downtown park in Atlanta, GA and a fountain in Walt Disney World.
Casteel said the project’s stone tells a local story of reinvention and the realization of beauty.
“Each business that was involved in this project has a story and a gift. These are individuals and leaders who truly care about our town,” she said. “We want our community to look at this structure and think ‘WOW.’ We live in a community of wonderful people with wonderful stories.”
She said she would also like the Santa House structure to not only be a gift to the community during the holidays, but throughout the remainder of the year as well.
“We wanted everything to be nautical enough that it could be decorated for Christmas and then completely changed for the rest of the year, so that it wouldn’t say ‘Christmas’ at all,” Casteel said.
Casteel said the Downtown Clearfield Lighting Fund, which has been the committee overseeing the project, has greater hopes for both the structure and the library courtyard.
She said they would like to replace the existing flagstone and overgrown shrubbery, hoping to make it seem more like a “secret garden.“ She said they envision evergreens for winter as well as seasonal flowers in bloom, such as rose bushes for summer and Black-Eyed Susans for fall.
“We would love to see the garden club get tapped into all of this and see the project bring in more people who have an interest and dedication for gardening and landscaping,” Casteel said.
Casteel said the Lighting Fund hopes to have café tables and chairs through the courtyard so that it would be a close place for downtown employees to enjoy lunch, organizations to rent the structure for meetings or couples to marry in town. All of the proceeds would directly benefit the Lighting Fund.
“At the present time, these are all dreams,” she said.
She said they want community members to reflect and realize that it doesn’t take a single action but unity to make a town better.
“Regardless of how big or small the action, people must realize that if it is positive, it does have worth. Clearfield has a lot of opportunities, and it’s up to us. It’s more than just banners, more than cornstalks and more than a new Santa House,” Casteel said.
“These projects are a part of something much bigger. These things represent people who care and a community that can rally together to change an entire town.”
Once more, she emphasized that the project has never really just been a Santa House.
“It has and always will be about inspiring our youth and adults alike and discovering the gifts that our community has to better itself. And, for this holiday season, that could be the greatest gift of all in Clearfield,” Casteel said.
She said they hope that the structure is completed for this Christmas season but said they still plan to make what they have work.
Ready-or-not, a ribbon cutting has been set for 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 5. She said Santa’s arrival will be kicked off at 11:45 a.m. on Dec. 6, with a Christmas parade.
She said Santa will be at the house until Christmas arrives. Hours will be posted at the site by Friday, Dec. 5.
Donations can be sent to:
The Downtown Clearfield Lighting Fund
538 South Second St.
Clearfield, PA 16830