'Head Elf' at Grand Forks' Santa Village makes Christmas merry and bright

Dec. 23—GRAND FORKS — Lynne Roche may have one of the busiest — and happiest — jobs around here this time of year.

As "head elf" at the Grand Forks Park District's Santa Village, she's been delighting kids at Christmastime for 20 years, filling Lincoln Park Clubhouse with a dazzling array of beautiful and whimsical trees and decorative objects.

Stepping into the clubhouse, one finds an explosion of color — about 60 trees, each festooned according to a particular theme. The dinosaur, super hero, peppermint and rock 'n' roll trees, for example, line up with the UND Fighting Sioux and even the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas" trees; they are among many more themed trees that fill the riotous display of creativity and imagination. The new Taylor Swift and Barbie trees have been very popular this year, Roche said.

In a side room, an upside-down Christmas tree, with wrapped packages nestled at the top, is perched near the ceiling.

"I tell the kids the elves snuck in in the middle of the night and turned the tree upside down, so the presents are on top," said Roche, special events manager for the park district. "So now they're on the naughty list and have to work extra hard at the North Pole."

As the kids ponder this situation, some offer helpful solutions, like, "my dad could bring you a ladder," she recalled with a smile.

On a recent weekday, the Herald found Roche surrounded by about 60 excited third-graders from Viking Elementary, with several teachers and volunteers managing the hubbub. After perusing the trees, the kids got to work making Christmas headbands and door-hanger decorations.

The greatest gift of Santa Village, Roche said, is the opportunity for kids and their families to slow down during the holidays, and just enjoy being together.

"We get so busy with shopping and running around," she said. "This is a community, family event where you can sit back and relax a bit. It's family time, and they don't even realize they're spending time together."

For a few weeks before Christmas, time is set aside from Monday to Thursday for groups — such as schools and daycare centers — to schedule a visit. This year, those time slots were fully booked, Roche said. Members of the general public were welcomed Fridays through Sundays. Santa Village's final day was Friday, Dec. 22.

Roche has overseen the growth and development of Santa Village for the past two decades. "When I first started, there wasn't much going on in the winter," she said, so she and other staff members visited the Fargo Park District's Rheault Farm for inspiration.

She started Santa Village here with eight Christmas trees that she decorated with bows from a dollar store, she said, "and people commented on how beautiful they were."

Over time, Roche has added visits by Santa and Mrs. Claus, a magic show, and horse-drawn sleigh rides to the activities. Hot cocoa, apple cider and cookies are served.

In recent years, during the pandemic, Santa Village was moved to larger settings — including vacant storefronts in Columbia Mall and a strip mall near Target, and last year into the former Eide car dealership building, which has been razed, on south Washington Street.

Now, Santa Village is back in its pre-pandemic home at Lincoln Park, Roche said. "It's great to be back. I've heard a lot of positive comments from people."

Milling around the festive setting, Roche seemed calm as she surveyed Santa Village and the kids' exuberance.

On a wall in a side room, she pointed out two life-like stuffed deer figures, named "Randall and Jimmy," standing on a high ledge.

"They're watching over Santa Village," she said.

Roche finds treasures like these at bargain-basement prices during end-of-season sales; she snagged one of the deer for 90% off.

"We accumulate a lot more ornaments and trees," she said. "Every year, I think, 'we don't need any more.' But then I run into something."

Among the extraordinary collection of trees, a Vintage Tree stands out, she said. It displays donations from an area man who gave his late mother's Christmas decorations to the park district.

The tree "is beautiful. (The decorations) are all hand made with beads and lace. It's absolutely gorgeous," Roche said. "It was so sweet of him to donate."

Roche enlists a cadre of volunteers who spend untold hours decorating the trees and preparing the winter wonderland for kids — and adults — to enjoy.

"Retired teachers are my friends," she said.

Among the helpers are Jill Landry, her "No. 1 assistant," she said, and Janie Holtan. Landry worked as a counselor at Lake Agassiz Elementary School.

Some volunteers get so "hooked" on the experience they return year after year.

When the Herald visited, it appeared the helpers were enjoying the setting and activities just as much as the kids.

"It's very contagious," said Brenda Gjelsness, a part-time park district employee.

"I just love this," she said, bustling around in her red jumpsuit and Santa hat, trimmed with white fur. "It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun.

"The kids tell us what their favorite tree is," Gjelsness said, "and the reasons why they pick the tree."

Most of the groups she helps out with are kids in grades kindergarten through 5, "but it's open to any age group that wants to come," she said.

"It's so fun to see how excited they are," said Marijo Deitz, a retired business owner. "It just gets you in the spirit, doesn't it?"

It takes workers about three and a half to four weeks — seven days a week — to get the clubhouse fully decorated, Roche said. "There are many Saturdays and Sundays."

For Roche, Santa Village sparks the kind of feelings that make Christmastime so special.

What she loves most is "the joy that it brings to people," she said. "I don't know how many times a day I hear 'Oh, wow' or 'It's magic.'

"Some kids don't have this at home, or don't necessarily know about Santa," she said, adding that some families don't celebrate Christmas.

"It's not all about presents. It's not necessarily about Santa as much as the spirit of Christmas," Roche said. "It's about coming together and believing in family ...

"It's the twinkle. It's such a beautiful season," she said. "Sometimes we're here when it's snowing outside. It's so relaxing."

Roche and the workers enjoy seeing kids' faces light up as they roam around Santa Village, they said.

For Emilee Burns, 9, a third-grader at Viking Elementary, seeing the trees is the best part, she said. The Barbie Tree is her favorite; she and her grandmother have some of the same dolls.

Items for this tree were donated by a woman in Emerado, North Dakota, Roche said. Some of the dolls are still in their original boxes. The tree is a big hit, probably fueled by the enormous commercial success of the recent movie depicting the iconic trend-setting character, she said.

Burns is a fan.

"In my room at home, I have Barbie pillows, everything Barbie," she said.

And she remembered coming to Santa Village years ago, as a very young child.

"It's a good memory," she said.