Community invited to see Christmas village on display at local museum - East Idaho News
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Community invited to see Christmas village on display at local museum

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Photo and video provided by Hannah McCausey.

ASHTON – There’s a new Christmas display for people to see at a local museum and the staff are inviting you to come and see it.

Volunteers with the Museum of the Henry’s Fork in Ashton just added a Christmas village in the basement of the building. It opened to the public for the first time over the weekend and Hannah McCausey, who helped set it up, tells EastIdahoNews.com the turnout was better than expected.

“The turnout was amazing. It was packed,” McCausey says. “I bet we had over 100 people.”

The Christmas village has at least 80 pieces, McCausey says, and includes a variety of miniature houses, trees, fences, animals, railroad tracks and a waterfall that depicts the city of Ashton.

It will be available to see for the next two weekends leading up to Christmas.

The addition of the Christmas village comes after an extensive remodel of the basement this summer. McCausey’s husband, Wayne, and volunteer Mary Adamic were involved in making that happen.

“We had a friend, Joyce Leonard, who came in and painted a mural of Ashton. Lonnie and Kathy Atchley donated the villages,” Hannah says.

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From left: Wayne McCausey, Hannah McCausey, Joyce Leonard and Mary Adamic inside the Christmas village. | Courtesy Mary Adamic

The Atchleys’ began collecting Christmas villages after purchasing four pieces at a thrift store in Bozeman, Montana in 2004. They eventually found pieces that resembled what Ashton looked like in the 1950s and began to display it in their home as their collection grew.

The first public display happened in 2007 at the Chamber of Commerce building in Ashton.

“It included several carnival pieces for the first time. We didn’t have enough room to put it all up because of space limitations,” says Hannah.

A larger collection of pieces was put on display at the Ashton Counseling Center the following year.

The Atchleys’ donated part of their collection to the museum earlier this year before the basement remodel got underway. Additional village pieces have been donated by Ashton residents.

“The Ashton Christmas village (now) has a permanent home where it can be enjoyed for years (to come),” Hannah says. “We think you’ll enjoy it, whether you are a big kid or a little one.”

The Christmas Village will be on display free to the public Dec. 11 and 12. It’s open from 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 11. Santa will be there from 3 to 6 p.m. It’s open from 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 12.

It will also be available the following weekend, Dec. 18 and 19, at the same times. Santa will be at the museum Dec. 18 from 3 to 6 p.m.

Donations are welcome but not necessary.

Museum of the Henry’s Fork is at 521 Main Street in Ashton. Visit the Facebook page to learn more or call (208) 313-7300.

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Museum of the Henry’s Fork Facebook page

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