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Santa's Village at Lake Arrowhead in Southern California in a Kodachrome slide I found in a thrift store. The park opened in 1955, and I don't see any 1957 model cars, so the date is my best guess. View full size.
My sister-in-law managed SV for three years in the seventies.
• Keeping the 'North Pole' refrigeration system operating was an ongoing problem.
• Reindeer shed that magnificent rack each year.
The unwritten rule was that the employee present at the shedding kept the rack. On her last year, she saw (and kept) Broomhilda's rack.
It now resides, in its splendor, in my nephew's bedroom.
Yes that's the So Cal Santa's Village, set to re-open this Friday, Dec. 2nd.
It's going to re-open this next week (Dec 2) - tickets are pricy - it's $49-$59 to get in (children/adults) - I don't think at that price they are going to do all that well.
Now, if they'd just re-open the one in the Santa Cruz mountains, we'd love to go back with the grandkids!
Given the redwoods, this one looks like the one in Scott's Valley CA (or rather at the crest of highway 17 leading into Santa Cruz). I passed by this one every time I left for the weekend while I was in college - and that was a lot.
[This is the Arrowhead park; those are pine trees. -tterrace]
We went to Santa's Village every year in the 60's through most of the 70's. It was great, loved riding the Bee around the park through the trees. Took my own children before it closed, heard it is reopening this year.
I see a couple of '55 Chevys, a sedan near the center of the parking lot and a station wagon upper right near the building.
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