Numbers show operating Overly's Country Christmas is no easy task
Wandering through the winter wonderland of Overly's Country Christmas at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds may give one the giddy impression of having stepped inside a snow globe.
Lights twinkle overhead, carols play as visitors drive slowly through the winding road of holiday exhibits, the bonfire crackles and the scents of kettle corn and hot chocolate fill the chilly air.
Inside his workshop, Santa Claus awaits (until Dec. 23, when he must return to the North Pole).
It's come a long way from its inception in founder Harry Overly's yard near Armbrust, starting in 1956, when lines of cars snaked through Hempfield to see the efforts a private citizen made in celebrating Christmas.
A light dusting of snow makes it the perfect night to see the lights at Overly's Country Christmas! pic.twitter.com/swBKEqYLf6
" Laurel Highlands (@laurelhighlands) December 7, 2017
Erecting, manning and tearing down the display may look effortless, but it involves the work of more than a village each year, said executive director Stephanie Tomasic, the only year-round full-time employee.
"I'm a gofer for all of these people. ... We couldn't do this without them," Tomasic said.
WCCC's Student American Dental Hygienists Association volunteered to help out at @Overlys Country Christmas! pic.twitter.com/ZaMh86DmIP
" Westmoreland (@ConnectWCCC) December 11, 2014
From the day after Labor Day, when cleaning, ordering merchandise and inventory checks begin, through closing on New Year's Day, volunteers — high school and college students, retirees, families, organizations and individuals — take care of duties including:
• direct traffic
• handle parking
• oversee admission
• staff the gift shop, general store and kitchen
• pop the kettle corn, grill the burgers and pour the hot chocolate
• stoke the nightly bonfire
• assist Santa in his workshop
They built it in a day . . . well almost. The Creche, a symbol of all that's important about Christmas, was especially...
Posted by Overly's Country Christmas on Thursday, November 9, 2017
Overly's, by the numbers
• 1 million (or more), the number of lights visitors will see.
• 21, the number of homes using on average 11,000 kilowatt-hours per year that the Walkway Castle and Canopy of Lights could power, according to Overly's.com.
• 15, the number of homes Henny Hemlock, the Talking Christmas Tree, could light.
• 600, number of volunteers needed each year to haul out stored bins of lights, garlands, cutouts and structures, check inventory and make necessary repairs.
• 5,000-plus, number of volunteer hours needed to set up, operate and tear down the display.
• 25-45, number of volunteers on-site daily to keep the lights glowing and operate the nonprofit's walk-through Christmas Village.
• 7,595 feet (more than 1.5 miles), amount of fencing guiding visitors through the lights and around the Christmas Village. One of the simplest displays at the site, the fence is the most time-consuming to erect. It was rebuilt in 2011 by Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 354 volunteers and has more than 16,000 LED lights.
• 85, the number of bows and swags surrounding the fence display. The bows initially were built by Central Westmoreland Vo-Tech School students and are illuminated with 6,600 C7 bulbs.
• 21.5 feet high and weighing more than 1,100 pounds, the gigantic metal snowman designed and fabricated in 2014 by the Westmoreland County Community College Technology Center's American Welders Society's student chapter.
Mrs. & Jr Snowman join Christmas Village thanks to WCCC welding students. pic.twitter.com/okckWAqYJq
" Overly's (@overlys) November 18, 2015
Mary Pickels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-836-5401, mpickels@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaryPickels.
