Dickens' village comes to life

Loretta George/Tribune photos Michael Richardson stands in front of his winter village display that he puts up in his basement about every three years.

Michael Richardson of Fort Scott spends about two weeks working to put up his Christmas Dickens' Village in preparation for his grandkids coming at Thanksgiving.

He doesn't do the village every year, more like every three years.

"It's quite a process," Richardson said. "So I don't try to do it every year. Usually just every three years, never two years in a row."

Loretta George/Tribune photos There are about 40 buildings in Richardson's winter village display.

He had a plan and worked it for the display.

First he selected a room in his basement.

Then he built a platform for the village, then he laid the train tracks down.

"That takes the longest time," he said.

Then the white cotton fleece is laid to mimic snow for the village, with some small white lights laid under the snow. Richardson then starts laying the houses, people, plants and rocks that make up the scene, starting at the wall and working outward.

"My wife, Belinda, hands me stuff," he said.

This, all in preparation for the six grandkids and two great-grandkids that came for Thanksgiving at the Richardsons'. All together about 30 people came to their home for Thanksgiving.

Richardson has been collecting for the village for about 30 years, he said.

"I saw a display in Springfield once. I started, then every year added to the display," he said.

Richardson, it seems, has another creative side: stained glass design.

In his home are many handmade replicas of Tiffany stained-glass lamps, along with some stained glass windows.

But of his stained glass projects, he is most proud of his work in making stained glass windows for the hot tub gazebo in his back yard. The scenes depicted are all nautical, inspired by T-shirts he has seen or other ordinary objects.

It is still a work in progress.

"I still have to finish the west side, up at top," he said.