By Don Steen
Staff Writer n reporter@psci.net
The historic 22-foot-tall statue of Santa Claus marked its 90th anniversary with a special ceremony Saturday, May 31 at the Santa Claus Museum & Village. The event served as an impromptu reunion of sorts, bringing together three legendary power couples as well as descendants of former Postmaster Oscar Philipps, who was recently inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.
In attendance for the ceremony were Mr. and Mrs. Claus, President Abraham and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and Elvis and Priscilla Presley. All three served as important symbols for the statue’s anniversary.
Elvis and Priscilla, played by Jonathan and Nancy Gilbert, were included due to the late “King” sharing a birth year with the Santa Statue. Elvis helped cap the festivities by singing “Happy Birthday” in the historic church on the grounds.
Seated beside Elvis and Priscilla were Mr. and Mrs. Claus, a/k/a Doug and Gail Farnham. They served as guests of honor throughout the morning, greeting guests below the statue.
Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln, played by Dean Dorrell and Doris Pfaaf, served as representatives of the town’s neighboring attraction, the boyhood home of the Great Emancipator. The museum also features a new model train exhibit including the O.V. Brown Lincoln collection, which was once on display at Santa Claus Land.
The confluence of a town named Santa Claus and the birthplace of Abe Lincoln played a key role in attracting the investment of businessmen Carl Barrett, who commissioned the statue. While Barrett’s Santa Claus Park venture ultimately failed, the statue is an enduring symbol of the town and the legend of Santa Claus.
That legend, and the town’s in fostering it, was embodied in former Postmaster Oscar Philipps. He took over for Postmaster James Martin in 1935, the same year the statue was unveiled. During his long tenure, he continued and expanded the tradition of answering children’s letters addressed to the Santa Claus Post Office. For this, and his role as a promoter for the town and the big man at the North Pole, he was formally inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame.
Charter member of the ISCHF Phil Wenz was present to recognize the occasion. He presented an official plaque to Kathy VanWinkle and Lee Philipps, the children of Louis Philipps, Oscar’s youngest son. Other relatives of the extended Philipps family filled the pews at the historic church during the ceremony, and the grounds thereafter.
The museum and village was quite the sight to see for the gathered family and other esteemed guests. Vintage cars, all from before model year 1940, were on display in the main parking lot throughout the day. The cars were provided by Marmon and Chevy clubs of the Washington area.
Museum Director Kathleen Crews noted these cars helped recreate some of the imagery surrounding the initial unveiling of the statue 90 years ago. While the unveiling took place in winter, during a snowstorm no less, automobiles were parked bumper to bumper to see the Santa Statue before the holidays.
It was around this time when Pat Koch, founder of Santa Claus Museum & Village and chief elf for Santa’s Indiana postal hub, first visited the site at the age of four. It has been a huge part of her life ever since, a place where the Spirit of Christmas lives true all through the year.
“Preserving this history means everything to me,” said Koch. “This is a Garden of Eden in the midst of a troubled world.”
Featured Image: Vintage cars from around the time of the Santa Statue’s unveiling in 1935 were provided by Marmon and Chevy clubs of the Washington area. While not quite as packed, or bitter cold, as the wintry celebration 90 years ago, the museum grounds were a happening place to be at the close of May.
From left: Elvis (Doug Farnham) sings Happy Birthday in honor of the 90th anniversary of the Santa Statue (and the birth of late King) while Mr. and Mrs. Claus look on. Lee Philipps and Kathy VanWinkle, descendants of Postmaster Oscar Philipps, accept honors from Phil Wentz of the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame in recognition of their ancestor’s contribution to the town’s role in the Santa Claus legend. Elvis and Priscilla, Mr. and Mrs. Claus and Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln were among the celebrities present to mark the 90th anniversary of the Santa Statue and congratulate the descendants of Oscar Philipps, who became Postmaster the same year the statue was unveiled.
