CLEVELAND — Puritas Nursery & Garden Center on Cleveland’s west side has trees, wreaths, and poinsettias for the holiday, but perhaps their biggest attraction?
"The neighborhood considers this their holiday train display," owner Dale Heyink proclaims.
For 20 years, Heyink and his volunteers have wowed families with their holiday train layouts. Four large displays now fill the green house, growing larger and more elaborate each winter.
It started when a vendor had an idea.
"'You know, you have these empty benches at Christmas time, and why don't we put up a train display and maybe we can increase your Christmas sales?'" Heyink remembers being told.
The displays take two months of planning and building to get everything on track.
"This gives me a chance to come out, put stuff out, go crazy, and do 10 times more than I could ever do at home," 10-year volunteer Mark Gombar said. "This year, I added a couple levels in the back and another level in the front and [went] crazy."
And since it is a nursery, the landscaping is no problem.
"We have real dirt, real plant life, real water," Dan Gryczan, who’s volunteered for the last 17 years, told 3News. "We emphasize all the stuff the nursery has to offer."
"Some people say that we're growing grass better on the display than they do in their yards," Hyink admitted.
The charm is in the details, too — you'll notice a nod to local landmarks and establishments, a favorite TV station, love for a hometown team.
"With the steel mill in it, a little emphasis to downtown Cleveland," Gryczan said.
Anything goes; it's all part of the fun.
"The Beatles were cake toppers I just happened to find last month, and I said, 'They're going to work perfect,'" Gombar explained, refereeing to the "Fab Four" playing a concert on one of the layout's roof tops.
In the evenings, the trains transform into another holiday wonderland. It does take a lot of work, but Heyink and his volunteers keep the tradition going for one simple reason.
"The people that come in here and thank me for doing this every single year," Hetink said. "You know, it's the 'Thank yous' that are so important, and they really, really do appreciate it."
"I love the crowd," Gryczan concurs. "That makes a lot of people happy."
"You know, they were 8 years old when they came in," Gombar reminisced. "Now they're 28 coming in with their 8-year-olds, generation after generation."
The holiday trains are up now through Dec. 31 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends. There is no cost to see the displays, although donations are appreciated.