OXNARD, Calif. – Things are chugging along nicely for another happy holiday season on F Street.

“Looking pretty good," Curtis Heath said, looking over the display.

Just a few weeks ago, his neighbor Todd Theirry wasn’t sure how all the pieces would come together in time for the official launch of Oxnard’s Christmas Tree Lane. Every year, Theirry says, is a new learning curve.

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“We still find that we got to figure out how to put it together," Theirry said, holding a piece of a tunnel. "And usually we get it.”

Assembling and operating the F Street Railroad is definitely a team effort. Theirry and his neighbor Dwayne Heath started the display at the request of their sons Travis and Curtis – young train enthusiasts who had to start working to support their hobby.

“We had to start washing cars or mowing lawns and get our money together because at the time we were probably 10 or 12," Curtis Heath said. "Saved up our money, we’d go buy another one, we’d keep playing with the trains.”

When the street officially became Christmas Tree Lane, the families knew it was time to take things to the next level. They started with a few simple displays.

“And then it just grew," Curtis Heath said. "And then you’ve got to compete with each other and then the dads get involved and the dads compete. So it was a playful competition and the next thing you know you’ve got this massive layout.”

Theirry says it takes about 100 hours to set up the display although this year they were derailed a few times because of rain. He estimates there a couple hundred feet of track with several trains going at once.  

“We’re constantly reinventing the wheel," Theirry said. "Every year we seem to want to get a little more creative with something."

Even this week, they are still tinkering. Dwayne Heath decided to add a new pond to the landscape.

“A little picnic scene, something like that," Dwayne Heath said.

For Theirry, this is more than just a seasonal hobby. This holiday set up is temporary but he has got a permanent installation in the back. Let’s just say, he has a one-track mind.

“I get a subscription to train magazine," Theirry said, "watch videos, so big boy stuff.”

And little boy stuff too.

“Amtrak!” Curtis's son Bob yelled enthusiastically as he spotted the train in Theirry's shed. Bob is only 2 years old and he is already being trained to take this tradition full steam in to the future.

 

 

 

It is a big commitment.  The two families spend weeks out here, running the trains for three or four hour every night.  But they say it is all worth it.

“It’s about seeing the faces and that’s something we enjoy," Curtis Heath said. "You know, we sit in the back with our control center and we just see all these kids getting peeled away because they just want to hang out one more time.”

“Moms, dads, brothers, sisters. Everybody just hanging out and watching the train," Theirry said. "It brings a lot to joy to everybody, I know that.”  

A holiday tradition engineered to make every smile.

The city estimates that 20,000 to 40,000 people visit Christmas Tree Lane every season.  For information on the Holly Trolley guided tour visit the website here.

CHRISTMAS TREE LANE VISITOR TIPS:

  • Decorations are on from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. every night through December 26
  • Do not walk in private yards or driveways, unless allowed by residents
  • Parking on adjacent side streets is recommended
  • Trash receptacles are provided by the City of Oxnard at most intersections
  • Portable restrooms are available at 3rd and F Streets