Holiday spirit hums at Opportunity Village's Magical Forest

It's magic

Opportunity Village's Magical Forest.

6300 W. Oakey Blvd.

5-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, through Dec. 31.

$3.

255-8733.

The Magical Forest at Opportunity Village opens today with the 5 p.m. arrival of Santa Claus to the grove of 400 evergreens illuminated with nearly 3 million white lights.

Animated dolls, miniature Santas, elves and reindeer move their arms and bodies mechanically as they stand among 150 10-foot candy canes.

Holiday music rings from Christmas displays filled with toys. And the Forest Express, which carries visitors through and around the surrealistic wonderland, has added another train to handle the crowds.

This year the forest has expanded to include a topiary park with nearly a dozen 8-foot lighted trees carved in the shapes of cartoon characters. Revamped craft booths and a food court will be set up next to the forest.

Volunteers have been working since September to set up the Christmas displays and light the trees, according to Linda Smith, spokeswoman for Opportunity Village. Nearly 200,000 visitors are expected this year.

The attraction is the organization's main fund-raiser for its vocational, training and employment programs for the mentally handicapped in Southern Nevada. The organization currently serves around 500 people. Last year's event raised $680,000, Smith said.

Local organizations and businesses set up displays in a variety of themes. Other displays and decorations were donated or found in thrift stores then fixed up for the forest.

"It really is a community project," Smith said. "It's become much bigger than we are.

"Everything here is donated, and everyone is donating their time," she added.

The Southern Nevada Chapter of the National Railway Historic Society created and operates the train, and nearly 100 volunteers work at the forest each night.

Local businesses use the forest as an opportunity to advertise. They pay to set up their displays, and the proceeds go toward the organization's mission.

Village displays, a magical castle and Santa at the pipe organ with a blinking stained glass window are other attractions that can be found tucked among the evergreen trees.

A facade of a drive-in theater that plays holiday movies such as "It's a Wonderful Life" will be on display as well as a log cabin featuring a display of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."

The outdoor forest has heaters throughout, but those who need to warm up can go inside to see the display of gingerbread houses made by local chefs. Choirs perform each night.

Santa will greet children and provide photo opportunities in a holiday-bedecked gazebo, and Christmas trees will be sold on the property.

The event will last six weeks and is one of the valley's largest Christmas attractions. Smith said she came up with the idea after holding a cocktail party almost 10 years ago at Opportunity Village at Christmastime to thank all the donors who helped get the facility built at Oakey Boulevard.

She had so lavishly decorated the trees outside for the event that people said they'd return the next day to show others.

"It made me realize that people were starving for that prettiness."

The next night she sat on a bale of hay and sold hot chocolate and cookies that her mother had made. She set out a wishing well to collect donations.

Opportunity Village raised $3,000 that year, she said.

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