 |
PUD? What's the word on the street?
Tolkien
characters will descend upon Newberg
Wu challengers
throws down the gantlet
in 1st District House race
| Decking
all the halls |
Darlyn Adams fills every nook and cranny of
her home with festive Christmas regalia |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com
|
 The decorations begin before one
reaches the front door.
Multi-colored balls hang from every branch of two small trees in the front yard. A wooden
cut-out of elves giving Santa a boost leans against the garage. A bench is wrapped in
lights and tinsel with a sign proclaiming, “Santa parking only, all others will be
snowed.”
Tinsel-filled bags line the path to the door and a reindeer hatrack stands
guard over the front door. The windows are so thickly plastered with window clings of
Santa, snowmen, snowflakes and other Christmas themes it’s difficult to see within.
As the door opens Darlyn Adams utters a hearty, “Ho ho ho.”
She offers a tour of the house, a mind-blowing maze of 50 decorated Christmas trees
ranging in size from six inches to more than seven feet tall. Some have color themes like
purple and green, one is patriotic, and many others are decorated more traditionally.
The eyes are dazzled by the more than 10,000 lights strung on the trees, displayed
in every room, even the bathrooms.
“That’s Valentino,” she says, patting a huge bear gently as
she walks by.
As she stops on the back porch, near the end of the tour, Darlyn points to an
elf at the table. The elf is perusing a wide array of spirits placed before him and has a
brim-filled goblet of white were set near his hand.
“This is Noelle, he’s a drinker,” she says.
Darlyn says she has began decorating the house for Christmas on Oct. 1
and dedicates about three months of her year, every year since she married in 1950, to the
project.
“I love Christmas,” she says.
Husband Paul Adams says he hasn’t quite gotten over the decorations yet
and he never dreamed that at 84 he’d be surrounded by the cheery holiday and its
trappings. “I don’t dare walk in my sleep at night because I might walk over a
Santa Claus,” he says
Looking at Darlyn fondly as she discusses her plans for a new animal shelter,
Paul says, “she really puts her heart into it, she really does.”
A bed in the spare bedroom is filled with stuffed animals, from bunnies to
bears, each with a name tag. The stuffed cuddlies — unlike the more than 200 of
Darlyn’s stuffed animals scattered around the house — are up for adoption for
anywhere from $5 for small ones, to as much as $20 for a large red, velvety bear and its
tiny identical companion.
The money raised will go to help pay for another of Darlyn’s passions, the
building of the Newberg Animal Shelter.
“I’m hoping to raise at least $1,200,” from an open house
scheduled for this weekend, she said.
The event is slated for 2 to 7 p.m., today (Saturday) and Sunday. The
Adams’ are inviting community members to tour their sparkly home located at 131
Johanna Court (off South Main Street).
The cost of admission to the winter wonderland filled with tiny village tableau, a
scattering of more than 700 ornaments, including dozens hanging from the chandeliers and
even a Santa waterfall, is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and is free for children ages 12
and under.
Darlyn will raffle off three color-themed baskets; one ticket costs $1, while six
cost five. The baskets are filled with everything from lamps and afghans to toys and
candies. Home baked goods, including pies, cakes, loaves and cookies, as well as dog and
cat treats, will be available for purchase. Refreshments will include coffee, fruit juice
and cookies.
Tiles “in memory of” and “in honor” of are available for
purchase for $20 and more, as are bricks that cost $50. The tiles and bricks will be
installed in the animal shelter when it is completed. |
|
From Dec. 13,
2003, Newberg Graphic
Click Here to Subscribe |
|
|
