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Collaboration makes St. Paul's Dayton's elves display
Collectors got together to make the St. Paul Dayton's elves display. FOX 9's Maury Glover has the story.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - John Pihaly added a new display in his backyard on Saunders Avenue and collaborated with fellow collectors Bill Ewald and Elijah Layne on a new window featuring 14 posters from Dayton's Christmas shows and a pair of original characters built by Layne.
An unlikely friendship
What we know:
For the last few years, John Pihaly has turned his house into a tribute to a timeless tradition from days gone by.
But now he is getting some help recreating a holiday trip down memory lane.
"It's great to be part of this display and bring back so many memories for so many people. Thought it would be neat to expand the display and bring it to more people and have the help of some other collectors," said Pihaly.
An iconic experience
The backstory:
In addition to the six vignettes using 30 figurines from the old Christmas shows in the 8th floor auditorium at the Dayton's department store in Downtown Minneapolis, Pihaly set up a new display recreating the singing Christmas tree scene from the "A Day In The Life Of An Elf" exhibit and collaborated with fellow Dayton's elves collectors Bill Ewald and Elijah Layne on a new window.
The window features 14 posters from other Dayton's Christmas shows and a pair of original characters built by Layne.
"We all share the same passion for restoring something we all loved and believed in when we were children," said Ewald.
Ewald has his own holiday display with animatronic characters from Dayton's holiday shows at his home in Minnetrista.
But for the last few years, he's been working with Layne, who's a sophomore in high school, to pass along some of his knowledge about restoring these beloved pieces from the past.
"When I was younger, I wanted to be able to set up shows like they did at Daytons and Macy's so being able to do this is like being able to fulfil that dream," said Layne.
Continuing a classic
What they're saying:
Pihaly hopes the collaboration helps pass the torch to a new generation of collectors, so this holiday tradition can continue for years to come.
"We want to continue to carry this on and keep this fresh in the minds of so many Minnesotans for as long as we can," said Pihaly.
The Dayton's Elves display will be lit from 5 to 9 every night through Christmas.
If you want to check it out, the address is 1887 Saunders Avenue in St. Paul.