Residents of Richmond County and all those who have driven through on U.S. 1 S. during the holiday season are probably familiar with Rudolph and his team on top of the old Hallum Furniture building which is now Discovery Place Kids.
As cars stopped at the Lawrence Street traffic light, they saw Rudolph with his blinking nose, leading a pack of reindeer along with Santa and his sleigh. The Richmond County tradition dates back to the late 1950s.
Consistent with the tradition, last year Santa, his sleigh, and the nine reindeer all returned from the North Pole around Thanksgiving to the roof of Discovery Place Kids. Santa and his crew thought they earned some rest and expected to stay atop the roof through the holidays.
But shortly after they made their appearance, strong winds hit the county, causing the display to take an unexpected flight; one which ended in a crash-landing. The reindeer were damaged so severely in the storm and their fall, that they were in no shape to return to the roof before Christmas.
Mary McKenzie Stogner (whose father worked at Hallum’s furniture store which later became McKenzie Furniture), said that the entire McKenzie family along with the City of Rockingham staff wanted to make sure that the reindeer display could be repaired and replaced in time for Christmas 2024.
In the spring of 2024, the City of Rockingham asked Arts Richmond to take on the task of repairing the reindeer that had been damaged in the windstorm of December 2023. Arts Richmond agreed to do so, and the process began.
(Disclosure: Betty Gallo McIntyre is on the Arts Richmond Board and participated in the restoration.)
The reindeer were delivered to the Arts Richmond building in pieces. Local contractor and artist Randy Warren picked them up and began working on the fiberglass repairs at his shop. When he had completed the repairs, the reindeer were once again taken back to Arts Richmond to be painted, where board president Susan Perkins coordinated the artistic efforts.
The Arts Richmond board members, Mayor John Hutchinson, and his daughter Evelyn took part in painting the repaired reindeer. The process took several months but with much effort, the reindeer are once again ready to fly, just in time for the holidays.
The display will be placed upon the Discovery Place Kids building Monday Nov. 25 as the tradition of the community continues.
“It was an honor to have been asked to carry out Operation Reindeer Repair, and we want to thank Randy Warren for doing all the reindeer structural restoration,” said Perkins.
Stogner explained the origin of the rooftop display:
“My father, Jim McKenzie, began working at the furniture store in 1953. Dad worked his way to store manager and part owner in the mid 1990s. He assisted in placing the reindeer on the rooftop each year. The display was always placed the day after Thanksgiving; no matter what the weather.
“At that time there was no lift truck to help, only tall ladders, ropes, and a lot of loving care. Once upon the rooftop, live greenery was cut to cover the platform and old timey spotlights were very carefully placed so each of the reindeer would stand out; Rudolph had his own light along with a blinking nose for all to see.
“Age and weather began to take a toll on the reindeer display, and they would soon need touching up. The display would be delivered to our family home in Rockingham the day before Thanksgiving for doctoring up.”
Stogner laughed as she commented, “Thanksgiving dinner never occurred until the reindeer were in spotless condition, and all four of the children spent time helping repair them.”
In the late 1990s, the reindeer were really showing their age as they had been repaired multiple times beforehand; to the point of deformity. It took more and more effort to keep them in good shape and replacing them became a major topic.
McKenzie continued as manager/owner of what had by then become McKenzie Furniture until he was 85. Following McKenzie’s retirement, the reindeer moved to the State Farm office of Bennett Deane, who volunteered to maintain the tradition. Once the reindeer’s former landing spot was sold to the City of Rockingham to be used for Discovery Place Kids, they returned home to their original rooftop.
The original reindeer were made at Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the biggest Christmas supply store in the world. Bronner’s originally made the molds to create reindeer for California’s 1958 Disneyland parade.
Once the original reindeer reached the point they could no longer be repaired, the McKenzie children began the task of researching where they could find similar replacements.
In 2015 and after much effort, the family miraculously got in touch with Brian Goff, who was a longtime Bronner’s employee.
“In early November that year, Bronner’s agreed to do a rush order for us so we could have the reindeer in time to display for Christmas,” said Stogner. Goff was able to locate the original molds, which had since been discontinued, and began making the new reindeer with the help of retired employees who came back to help with the special order.
The idea of offering to the City of Rockingham the gift of the reindeer display for use atop Discovery Place Kids was presented to then-mayor Steve Morris to present for approval to the City Council, which quickly approved the gift.
The city was excited about the opportunity to carry on the tradition. City workers were instrumental in placing the reindeer atop the building as well as building platforms and even a brand-new sleigh. The reindeer display had once again come to life for the community.
“The announcement was made to the community that Santa Claus was coming back to town arriving on the rooftop once again,” said Stogner. “People from all over showed up to see the display.”
What was once a hometown furniture store tradition is now a tradition celebrated by the entire city.
This year’s display could not be possible without all those who helped restore the reindeer: neighborhood friends who picked up the pieces after the storm; city employees who donated time and resources; highly talented and skilled Arts Richmond Council members who brought them back to life; and perhaps most of all, Santa himself, who continues to spread holiday cheer over the city.
The McKenzie family applauds all those who helped contribute in any way and celebrates the carloads of family members, both young and old, who drive through downtown Rockingham to see the display each year.
Take time to venture out and enjoy the tradition, and as you pass through downtown Rockingham, look up; Rudolph will guide you with his nose so bright.
