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Show People / Ed Greene OREM' S OWN WINTER WONDERLAND By Nicola Pritchett / Assistant HEX Editor Ed Green's passion for spreading the Christmas spirit is a trait that runs in the family As a child, Ed loved to watch his father craft tiny model houses to place beneath the Christmas tree. When Ed had children of his own he began to buy little Christmas village pieces to brighten the base of his own tree. "I started with a train and a couple little houses and the next year it got a little bigger and the next year it got a little bit bigger," Ed explains Today the village has grown to necessitate a room of its own. When the lights go down, and the Christmas music starts, the village whirs into life. Ice skaters twirl around a rink, a "Y" lights up on the mountainside, stars twinkle overhead, and there's even a drive-in movie theater playing "It's a Wonderful Life". What began as plan to surprise his kids on Christmas morning quickly turned into a complete winter wonderland. As Ed's collection of Christmas models grew, so did the public's interest. "We've had the schools come, the church come, the neighbors come, anyone that knows about it comes," Ed explains. News of the village spread through family and friends, and Ed welcomed growing numbers of curious visitors into his home with open arms. "It was last year or the year before that there were two big buses that stopped out front, great big greyhound buses, 45 people got off and then the next night the same bus brought another group of 45," Ed recalls. "There have been some years, in its heyday, that we'd have a hundred people coming through each night." A trip to the Greens' village has become a tradition for many in the valley, drawing in everyone from scout groups to out-of-town visitors. None are more enchanted than the children who visit Ed's little village. Ed's wife Ginny recounts an experience with her granddaughter, "She went through [the village] and she looked at it and then she turned to me and she grabbed my leg and said, 'this is the best Christmas ever. — Ed adds, "Other kids have come and asked, `is this where Santa Clause lives?'" A query he often answers with a sly, "it could be." To contact Ed call: 801-224-0086 HEX/XI |
