HUTSON UNVEILS CHRISTMAS TRADITION TODAY

What has become a Christmas tradition in Cape Girardeau is back again.

For 31 years, Hutson's Furniture in downtown Cape Girardeau has unveiled its Christmas window display on Thanksgiving.

"People tell me it's become a part of their Thanksgiving holiday," said Chris Hutson. "After Thanksgiving dinner, everyone hops into the family car and cruises to Hutson's to see the window."

The display annually draws thousands of people.

This year's display took about four weeks to create, Hutson said. It's a scale model of Silverton, Colo., in the early 1900s. Silverton was a booming mining town during that time. Hutson said store employees worked on the display nightly and on weekends.

The display is intricate and detailed, Hutson said. Mountain ranges fill the background and eight running trains wind through the scaled-down village. And, of course, Santa Claus flies overhead in his sleigh.

"Basically, it's the world's largest train set," he said. The trains carry the name of the original train that ran through Silverton in the 1900s: The Denver Rio Grande Railroad.

The Silverton display was first used in 1989. Hutson said it was extremely popular that year, so it was brought back.

The window will be unveiled at about 9 a.m. today, Hutson said.

Another holiday exhibit will be featured at Furniture Fair. It is an animated "Christmas With the Animals" display, Hutson said.

"It's a bit more scaled down version in the true Christmas spirit," he said. "It's the type of display kids will really enjoy."

Both stores are owned by Charles Hutson, Chris's father.

"It's a tradition with the family and with the store," the elder Hutson said, explaining that the display has its roots in family trips to the southwest Colorado town.

"We have been there many, many times, so when we had the display built, we patterned it after Silverton," he said.

Hutson said the display has undergone a few changes since it was first unveiled two years ago. For the first 29 years, the store used a different display each year.

Chris Hutson said when his grandfather first began the displays, he had no idea they would become a holiday tradition.

"He wanted to do something good for the downtown," Chris Hutson said. "When you come down here on Thanksgiving and see all the cars lined up, it gives you a good feeling that you've done something positive."

Another downtown business, Broadway Medical Equipment at 734 Broadway, adorned its own front window with Santa and his elves, Christmas trees and carolers.

"This is the first year, but it's going to become a tradition for us," said Robert Conrad, general manager of the store.

"We plan to add to it yearly," he said, adding that the entire front of the store was remodeled to allow for the display. The display was unveiled Tuesday night, he said.

Conrad said the owner of the business, Ed Meadows, has wanted to put a Christmas display in the store's window for years.

"I guess you could say we wanted to follow in Hutson's footsteps," he said.