Santa's Castle lets locals skip the light fantastic
Published on December 9th, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - The lights may be bright on Broadway, but they're not too shabby in Stoneham either.
For the third straight year, Santa's Castle is lighting up the Stone Zoo area of town with its magical Christmas light displays.
The attraction has brought in hordes of visitors to town each Christmas season since it opened in Stoneham in 1996. Prior to that, many of those visitors traveled to Peabody to the home of Shirley and Skip LaBrie, creators of the exhibit.
For 14 years, the LaBrie's painstakingly set up the festive display on their front lawn, creatively adding new touches with each year, until it grew too big, some thought, for their residential neighborhood. The LaBries began searching for a location where they could continue their hobby, and, at the same time, provide enough space to the visitors who enjoy it right along with them every year.
"Some people consider it a family tradition," said Skip LaBrie of the visitors he sees each year.
With ample display space and parking available at the Stone Zoo, the two parties joined forces. The LaBries saw a prime location in which to work and display their creation, and the zoo foresaw the opportunity to draw in traffic to its site as it embarked on a revitalization plan. According to LaBrie, the two have enjoyed a good working relationship since.
In its first year at the Stone Zoo, the Santa's Castle display drew in 77,000 people. The following year saw 81,000 people pass the gates to enjoy the lights and sights of the season.
This season, according to Joy Reo, Public Relations Manager for Zoo New England, an estimated 90,000 visitors are projected to visit the attraction. Attendance figures to date have exceeded projections, she said, due to the warm weather the area has enjoyed so far this December, she speculated. In addition, the zoo has included a light sculpture and more decorative lighting in the main part of the zoo.
Visitors have been recorded as coming from all over the region, including the South Shore, the 495 belt and southern New Hampshire.
With weekends and the week prior to Christmas the busiest times to visit Santa's Castle, Reo advised that the traditionally slower nights, Monday through Wednesday, feature shorter lines and are great options for visitors. The zoo is also featuring ice carving demonstrations on Monday nights this year.
Admission to the exhibit is $3 for adults, $2 for kids and for children under age 2, admission is free. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the zoo admission booth during regular zoo hours. Visitors with tickets are able to circumvent any lines and go right into the exhibit.
"This is considered one of the key fundraisers for the Stone Zoo," stated Reo. Revitalization of the zoo has already begun with new animal exhibits and plans of building the world's first earth park.
The LaBries combine their talents (his skill at building and her flair for decorating along with a wealth of ideas) and work hard all year long as the exhibit remains open with varying displays. The next major exhibit is the Easter display.
"I enjoy it because I'm there all year. I have all day to work at it," said LaBrie. "She loves to decorate...she has all the ideas and she loves people," he said of his wife.
Despite the satisfaction he gets from seeing the visitors enjoy the exhibit, LaBrie admitted that his favorite time of the year, is the summer when he does most of the building.
Maintaining the expansive displays requires the LaBries to shop all year long, for supplies and ideas. Their biggest shopping day, he said, is the day after Christmas, when they stock up on all the seasonal items that disappear off the shelves until the next fall.
During the Christmas display, LaBrie can be spotted walking around with a handful of spare bulbs, always prepared to replace those that have burned out.
"If you let it go, you'll never catch up," he said of the 250,000+ lights on the site.
With this year's display marking their third year at the zoo and 17th year in all, the LaBries do not know how long they will continue to run the exhibit. They have decided, however, that whenever that day comes to call it quits, they will donate the entire display to the zoo.
Since arriving in Stoneham, the LaBries have enjoyed the valuable assistance from Stoneham resident Bob Berry who volunteers his time to work on the exhibit five days a week.
In addition, the zoo has recently hired an employee to help LaBrie with the exhibit.
"I'm teaching him the trade," he said.
Since Thanksgiving, Santa's Castle is open seven days a week from 4 to 8 pm. This year, it will remain open all New Year's Day and will close for the season at 8 p.m. on January 1, 1999.
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