The idea first came to Steubenville business owner Jerry Barilla in 2015, when he thought that the sight of empty storefront windows deterred folks from coming to the downtown area to do their Christmas shopping. So, he set up a few nutcracker displays in those windows to make the area a bit more festive.
Fellow businessman Mark Nelson, however, put the concept in overdrive when he and his son-in-law, Brodie Stutzman, built and erected a life-sized nutcracker named Junior nearby. “He spent an entire year outside so we could see how he weathered heat, cold, rain, and snow,” Stutzman says. “He was such a hit that we created 150 more over the next few years.”
And so now, a decade after those first displays brought the area to life, more than 200 life-sized nutcrackers — the world’s largest such collection — transform downtown Steubenville each holiday season into the Nutcracker Village. This year’s event will continue through Jan. 9.
Jerry Barilla and Mark Nelson joined forces a decade ago to revitalize downtown Steubenville's vacant buildings into a winter wonderland.
Visitors to the Nutcracker Village encounter just about any character they could imagine in nutcracker form — from whimsical storybook heroes and cartoon characters to real-life movie and television stars; from historical legends and religious leaders to first responders and service members from the various branches of the military.
Rosie the Riveter is there, along with Charlie Brown, Captain Nemo, Shirley Temple, Pope John Paul II, Scarlett O’Hara, and John Glenn. Notable Steubenville native Dean Martin has come home in nutcracker form, along with fellow “Rat Pack” members Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr., and Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. New nutcrackers are added every year. (Famed soldier-turned-movie-star Audie Murphy used to be here, but though most of the creations remain in the community, an out-of-town visitor purchased Murphy’s figure to place in a Texas museum honoring the American hero.)
Stutzman says most of the nutcrackers he makes stand around 6 feet tall — with a notable exception. “I made the Mouse King is 9 feet tall because I wanted him to look big and impressive,” he says.
The nutcrackers are carved from Styrofoam, which obviously makes the finished product easier to handle than wooden forms. The foam comes in 200-pound blocks — enough material for 14 figures. It takes roughly 400 hours to design, carve, and paint each one, and at the end of the process, they all get a fiberglass outer skin to afford some protection from the elements. Stutzman estimates an additional 400 hours are spent each year on upkeep and repairs.
All that upkeep couldn’t happen without a legion of volunteers helping with everything from base-layer spray painting to making a twinkle in a Styrofoam eye and updating or repairing wardrobes.
“All the added detail brings each nutcracker to life and gives it personality,” says volunteer Gretchen Nelson, while working on one of the figures with her husband, Mark. “Painting faces is the hardest part, but doing the hair can be tricky, too. Sometimes you have to take wigs apart and then glue the hair back on in layers, a few strands at a time.”
The wardrobes can also be complicated, depending on the specific character. Nelson recalls having trouble finding just the right fabric, for example, to make a skirt for Glinda the Good Witch. Even finding wands and other accessories is not as easy as it may sound.
It takes two full days to set up the elaborate display along the street and in front of sponsoring businesses. Other events taking place during the Nutcracker Village include a lantern parade led by jolly old St. Nicholas and the Children’s Corner, which offers free face painting, Christmas crafts, and photos with Santa Claus.
There’s also a display of 400 Nativity scenes; a German Gluhwein Garden, where vendors set up shop to sell food and an assortment of wares; and several
productions of Woodenheart Follies, a family musical bringing to life nine nutcrackers. All the events are made possible through the Steubenville Cultural Trust, created to bring magic and hope to a city ready for its next great story.
“This all began as a way to revitalize downtown and help businesses,” Mark Nelson says. “We draw more and more people each year, so I think we’re accomplishing our goal.”
For more information, along with a full list of events, visit www.steubenvillenutcrackervillage.com.
