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Out and about with Therese Nelson Fedoryka, Chief Designer of Nelson Fine Art and Gifts.
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Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:09 Um,
Speaker 1 00:00:11 Welcome to BLS JS podcast or the public library of Steubenville and Jefferson county shares with you. Our favorite quirky questions finds out what leaders in our community are reading interviews, local authors, and so much more this podcast as part of the out and about series, where we talk to business and community leaders, organizations, and to anyone outside library doors, to learn a little more about them personally and professionally, and as always, we'll find out what they're reading
Speaker 1 00:00:43 And welcome to the PLS J podcast today's guest I have with us is teres Federica. She is the daughter of Gretchen and Mark Nelson. Of course, the famous nutcrackers Nelson's fine art and gifts, and our student will Nutcracker village. So Theresa, thank you so much for being here today. It's exciting to talk to you, especially at this time of year. Uh, this podcast will be available, you know, throughout the year, but we are actually recording this on December 1st abroad, getting ready for Christmas. As I know you probably, your family has been crazy busy, um, with the Nutcracker. So tell me a little bit about that, the nutcrackers, and first of all, did your family ever imagine that the nutcrackers would grow to be as big as it is right now and such a great attraction?
Speaker 2 00:01:31 Um, that's a funny question. We don't get it very often, but yeah, we joke about how the first year when we built the first few nutcrackers, we didn't advertise, we didn't even tell local people because we were kind of afraid it would be the laughing stock of Steubenville. And I, you know, like many of the attempts to revitalize and many communities, you always run the risk of trying something that doesn't work. And, um, this was like a large-scale kind of odd thing to try. Um, it wasn't, you know, it's not like mimicking an event in another community such as a first Friday or a community festival. Um, it's something very different. So when we put them out, we hadn't gotten that advertised and sort of just expected maybe our family and 25 closest friends to come to the event. Um, so we were blown away the first year that Stupidville showed up. Um, and that was really inspiring for us to continue the project, um, after that. And it's just continued to grow every year. And, um, we're really excited. It's got some amazing PR especially this year, um, which is surprising after all the COVID what that's.
Speaker 1 00:02:42 Yes, well, it is outdoors. People feel maybe comfortable that they're able to walk along and see everything outside, so that maybe in one sense it was kind of a blessing, a blessing to guess. Exactly. So, and you've grown now, what's the furthest, um, uh, that you know of people coming to see the nutcrackers, do you talk to people and,
Speaker 2 00:03:03 And find out that yeah, we do. And over the years we've collected people from probably all 50 states at this point, I'm the furthest away that I've had visitors. This time was Arizona. Um, so far in the last week and Texas, um, and those were people visiting their family members here, but they also knew about the nocardia village. And instead of family going from student village, Arizona or Texas, that family came to Steubenville because there was something else here to see. Um, not that family is not enough, but, um, uh, but yeah, in the past we've had guests from Denmark and Germany, um, and, and Japan, there was a family that was from Japan. So they were in the United States for other reasons, but the fact that they were in the U S already and wanted to go see Christmas things, this was a destination for them.
Speaker 1 00:03:55 I love it. And I know this year we have 185 nutcrackers. So when you first started, how many nutcrackers did we have? We've grown into 180 5. So what did we start?
Speaker 2 00:04:06 Yeah, we started with, uh, 37 at the first year and we had pledged to make 50 the first year, um, after making one, we loved it. We thought we could do 50. Uh, our manufacturing business had a big event that year, uh, in September. So we ended up putting in our cracker project on the back burner and made 37 between November 1st and December 1st when we started it. Um, and, and again, we didn't think it would be popular. Um, so we kind of were just feeling out the waters that year, but by the end of the Christmas season, we had applications for over 75 new nutcrackers. So the second year we made all 75 applications. Wow. After the second year we had an additional 50 applications. So we made the 50 for the third year. Um, and then ever since then our list has just continued to grow. Um, and at this point we have well over 200 on our waiting list.
Speaker 1 00:04:59 Oh my goodness. And how do you decide which ones you want to make? And I, I noticed this year, you have a contest for the, a peacock. Yeah. So how do you decide?
Speaker 2 00:05:08 Um, so we have a few things. We look at, um, sets of nutcrackers that we already have. So for instance, um, the military set, we only had two branches in the military, covered people, applied for other branches of the military, and that was something we wanted to kind of complete that set and represent all branches of the military. Um, so for a few years, the, you know, those ones were chosen or, um, schools, we wanted to represent all the local schools. So those ones were often chosen offer an application list. Um, and then after that, we look for most creative and most, um, I don't want to say it like attractive, but what would happen to have the widest appeal to people? Um, you know, a, we already have a doctor, we have several doctors, so another doctor is not going to bring in that much interest, um, versus adding something that we don't have yet, like a peak up. Um, so with the competition this year, we actually just wanted to see what other people wanted. We, we always get applications from businesses because they're the ones who have the money to sponsor that cracker. Um, but we always hear from people during the festival, just individuals who are like, we want this Nutcracker, we want that one. We can't sponsor one. Um,
Speaker 1 00:06:16 The applications for people who are local, or do you get them from other states
Speaker 2 00:06:20 All over? Yeah. All over. Um, I would say most of the sponsored nutcrackers are from the tri-state area. Um, we have sponsors all over Ohio, um, and yeah, in Pittsburgh and then we lean like, so kind of, yeah, mostly tri-state area. Um, but we've received applications from a variety of states and we've made nutcrackers actually for other states and sent them. So we have our ambassador nutcrackers,
Speaker 1 00:06:45 The other states you're sending nutcrackers, you said over to other states, or as anyone else that, to your knowledge establishing kind of like what we have here where like Nolan Nutcracker village, or
Speaker 2 00:06:56 I'm the only one that has kind of done a similar thing is Alpharetta Georgia. And they, um, they loved what we did and they have a different situation in their town where instead of the, uh, natural collapse of the economy, they actually collapsed their own downtown and rebuilt it. So they did an intentional, um, yeah, they just rebuilt it. I, I don't know what their thought process was behind it, but once it was done, they wanted something that would bring people back downtown. So they asked for nutcrackers. Um, but they only have 15, I think.
Speaker 1 00:07:29 So what is your family? What's what are you envisioning for all the nutcrackers? Because I know they moved mostly along enforced right now and I did see some up along market street, I believe. So what, what is the plan? What is, what is the vision?
Speaker 2 00:07:42 Um, so when we started, we were part of a festival committee for the city of Steubenville. And we were actually talking about the Christmas parade and in 2014, the Christmas parade was rainy and cold and miserable and not very many people came. And so our meeting after that parade was kind of, what can we do? What would make people come? A lot of the comments after the parade, uh, were kind of asking why don't have a nighttime parade, why don't we have a, yeah. A light, a parade, like everyone else now, or something interesting to make this parade worth going to? Um, so we were trying to think of like, should we add a theme? Should we do a night parade? Um, and one of the ideas that was thrown out, what, um, it was, uh, I think Jerry Barella's idea was to collect tiny nutcrackers and put them in all the empty storefront windows.
Speaker 2 00:08:31 Um, because at the time there were probably two stores downtown and they, weren't the kind of stores that you go hang out at. So nobody was going to go downtown for the Christmas season. It was, wasn't going to be like the old days. Um, but we thought if there's Jerry thought, if there's tiny nut crackers in the windows, maybe after the parade, people would go walk around and see these displays. Um, and then kind of tagging onto that. We thought if have a Nutcracker themed parade, um, that might be interesting for people to come and see. And again, we weren't sure of the job not crackers at the time. Um, so we are woodworkers and we went back home and my dad thought that wouldn't it be fun if we built a life-size Nutcracker cracker for a photo op, if this theme of nutcrackers is the thing for the year.
Speaker 2 00:09:14 So we built the first Nutcracker and he was so loved my little sisters. Cause we were also like a Congress can be scary, their left side, they have big teeth. Yeah. Um, and I had little baby sisters at the time and they just loved him. They named him Jr. He became their friend. Um, and so we thought, oh, it's not scaring them. We could probably make a few more. Um, so that was when we said let's make 50, let's make a scene with his nutcrackers literally. Um, and the intention was actually to put them all over Steubenville, um, not just downtown, but like if you go to the hospital, there will be a doctor, a nurse Nutcracker greet you. If you go to the pharmacy to be a pharmacist, you going to the grocery store, maybe there would be
Speaker 1 00:09:55 So just spread
Speaker 2 00:09:56 Out everywhere. Everywhere. Yeah. So like Steubenville is going to be the Nutcracker village. Um, and we, um, sort of shelved that idea the first year. Um, because again, we didn't, we were like, maybe if we put them all together, people will see it as a thing. And once it's a thing, then we put them all over town and it wouldn't be as weird as like, oh, I just showed up at the dentist and there's this life-size that does not cracker. So we thought we'll just put them in one place. And it was like, sort of pathetic the first year, there was no lights. We didn't know what you're doing. And we didn't have much of anything together for it sort of carrying off of that first year. And it was so successful and we finally have enough nutcrackers, um, that we really want to continue spreading that. And, um, but, but have seen the value of having them in one place. And that, that is the attraction that we wouldn't draw out of town visitors if they were all over town, because it would be too difficult to show up at somebody's dentist office. And
Speaker 1 00:10:49 So will you continue then each year taking several applications or will you start limiting it, do you think? Or
Speaker 2 00:10:58 Already? Yeah. Um, we had a really hard year for our family, um, and the, the Carver, um, his wife had a child and I had a child was like the two artists and we kind of got tied up with our families, um, and given the nature of our background with jobs and, and, uh, w what we do and the purpose of the village family comes first. So
Speaker 1 00:11:20 I saw your website, how, uh, because of looking, you know, for the people who help and it's like, what you said, it's basically just, you had put your, your mom and dad, you, and I think Brody is his name. Yeah. And I thought, wow, all that work. And just, it's the four of you who are basically who are working on this and doing it. And my goodness. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:11:39 And I've trained. I have teenage brothers that I've trained them to paint. The nutcrackers Verde still does almost a hundred percent of the carving. Um, my brother's help him with that. And then, um, my mom and my little sister has also helped with repairs. Um, but my brothers put everything out every year. It's, it's definitely pretty much a hundred percent of our family.
Speaker 1 00:11:57 Well, I, I wanted to mention, um, your website, it's Stevenville, Nutcracker, village.com. And I love it because when you go on there, um, it will list all of the nutcrackers. Um, there's a map and I love the video and I'm sure you get a lot of feedback about this video. Yes. Uh, because it shows all the nutcrackers lining up and going out and how they're getting ready for the season. One of my favorite videos to watch it. I love it. That's when did ask, how long did that take you to do that?
Speaker 2 00:12:26 It was, I mean, probably 12 straight hours. Cause once we started, we couldn't stop, but yeah, for a one minute video, it was a lot of,
Speaker 1 00:12:35 I would think so. Uh, so I'm, I'm so glad that you, that you have that on there, because like I said, I know a lot of people talk about that video too, that they enjoyed that as well. Which one is your favorite Nutcracker?
Speaker 2 00:12:46 That's hard. That's hard question. It's like asking. Who's your favorite kid? Um, I usually have a new favorite every year. This year. My favorite is our Audrey Hepburn attribute, Nutcracker, Holly Golightly. Um, I also love we call them Verdi's children. So every year the Carver kind of has one Nutcracker that he focuses on. He curves, he designs, he paints, um, and I have nothing to do with it. And that's like one of my favorite every year. So the mouse king is one of those Hermes, one of those, um, this year, the peacock, he did the peacock entirely, um, and Audrey Hepburn. So all of those ones, um, he's just so creative. I love seeing what he comes up with and maybe because I didn't have to do anything for it. I appreciate it more.
Speaker 1 00:13:28 Well, we love it. We love what it's done for the community and, and, and, uh, for everyone and bringing in business and families to enjoy it. So I thank you for taking time to come here and talk about the nutcrackers. And you always like to end our, our interviews, um, with this album about series, uh, with what are, is there anything in particular that you're reading right now, if they ever book that you have?
Speaker 2 00:13:51 Well, actually since it's Christmas time and we just pulled out all our Christmas books and I, um, remembered a children's story, that was always my favorite. And so I'll be reading it to my little Phoebe this year. Um, but it's called the Christmas miracle of Jonathan to me. And I just love the story of transition from a grouchy old man who has a lot of pain in his life and his vape broken inside. Um, and he sort of has this miracle at Christmas time when he comes out of himself and carves the nativity scene for a widower and her son, um, it makes their Christmas. So do
Speaker 1 00:14:22 You ever think this character will become a Nutcracker?
Speaker 2 00:14:25 I don't know that he'll become an, a Karger. I think actually that most of us could identify with him as carvers, that like we're broken. We come from the past that, uh, needs to heal in that often art and, and the holiday season can really be healing for relationships. So
Speaker 1 00:14:40 Very well said. Well, thank you so much and Merry Christmas to you and your family. And thank you again for being here with us. Thanks for listening to PLS Jay's podcast. Visit us in person at your library, branch or [email protected].
