December, 1981 $2.00 - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

different scenes, surrounded by the
season's cheer. Don't forget, having
pines on the Sonoran Desert is something
different, too. I can easily live
without the snow," he said.
"We've had snow on Easter (twice
that I remember). And, we've had
some 85-degree, sunny days on Christmas.
Usually, it's too mild to look for
snow on Winterhaven streets."
"I've always considered Christmas
to be paramount of the religious holidays.
That's what the whole thing is
about, and I believe there's a community
spirit of camaraderie attached
to the festival.
"When the city maintenance crew
comes out early on the designated
Saturday, to assist with wire stringing
from their cherry-picker machines,
well, people gather around to hold
strands of cords so they don't tangle.
They help unwind the long wires. At
noon, crewmen are treated to a community-organized
luncheon.
"Now, there are some who'll grouch
about the traffic, or exhaust fumes.
Some older residents have had yearly
displays since 1951 or so. They're
taking it easy now, cutting back,
maybe just watching.
"It's not obligatory to light up your
home, and I'm sure that's why the festival
does so well. Most people are
decent and polite if they don't agree
with the lights," Sill observed.
Lela Aldrich, this year's president of
the Winterhaven Association, said that
about 90 percent of the 287 homeowners
enter lawn displays when the community
lights up.
Time needed to prepare displays
varies. At the Stanley Brown home,
just as soon as the Halloween costumes
are packed away, the family starts
thinking and working on their Christmas
display. Godfrey Sill said four or
five days of work are needed. One resident
smiles wryly, then said, "Twenty
minutes!" but amended to "more than
a full day."
Lights shine splendidly from about
darkness to 10 p.m., though there is no
official turning off or on times in the
regulation. Several residents indicated
that occasional vandalism occurs after
midnight on weekends, if it happens
at all.
"Two years ago, when Jeff won his
first Grand Prize," said Shirley
Brown, "two young boys kicked or
pushed over most of the figures in our
display when they ran up on the lawn
about one in the morning. I heard this
terrible noise out front, looked out the
window just as they were running
48 December, 1981
Sister Mary Donnellan does her final
touch-ups on the Madonna.
Jeffrey Brown, award winner, adjusts
costumes on his display.
"Having pines on the
Sonoran desert is
something different, but I
can easily live without the
snow."
Godfrey Sill
toward a car and drove off.
"It was the morning of Christmas
Eve. Luckily, judging had been completed
a night or two before. Heads
were knocked from figures and
costumed bodies were tipped over.
The large world globe was not
bothered," Mrs. Brown said.
"We got started at 8 a.m. to repair
damages. Neighbors stopped by, doing
things to help restore, and by 3 p.m.,
the display was almost back to normal
except for some mending tape that
showed a little and extra props that
were used behind the figures," said Jeff.
"A few hours later, Christmas Eve,
judges came by and drove a sign into
the ground in front which declared it
the Grand Prize entry! Lots of people
had gathered. They cheered and there
were tears in our family. Twelve hours
earlier, everything was just plain
dismal for me," Jeff concluded.
Judges are selected annually from
the University of Arizona, Davis-
Monthan Air Force Base, private
industry and professional people; plus
members of the art circles in Tucson.
Five judges, working independently
review the displays and meet to decide.
New judges are named each year.
W.O. (Bill) Fraesdorf, Jr., a real
estate broker, who originally worked
with the late C.B. Richards to open the
subdivision, said "The name, Winterhaven,
was C.B.'s idea," he said,
"and yes, he wanted Winterhaven to
become a magnet, drawing buyers
from the snowbelt areas, but Aleppo
pines, Italian cypress and arbor vitae
were not purchased with a future
Christmas lighting theme in mind.
"The trees," said Fraedsorf, "were
simply a good buy. A nurseryman in
town had to move to larger quarters
from the congested university area, or
retire. He retired, but not before a
hundred or so of those trees were
bought by Richards.
"In 1951, Christmas tree lighting
began as a subdivision event," Fraesdorf
said. "A year or two earlier I had
seen the Beverly Hills Christmas lights
in California, mentioned it to C.B.
and he went for the idea; so did the
pioneer homeowners.
"Winterhaven's main street was
named Christmas Avenue. The subdivision
is patterned after Shaker
Heights near Cleveland. Fact is,
people there sent us some of their street
plans which we followed; and we used
their homeowners' regulations for
guidelines."
Four years ago Sister Mary
Donnellan, a Franciscan Missionary,
and her companion, Sister May
Stephen Liu (who moved to the United
States in 1965 from Hong Kong)
became residents of Winterhaven.
"There's a lot of communication
going on during decorating time,"
observes Sister Donnellan, who is
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