Indoor winter wonderland on display in Cape Vincent

CAPE VINCENT, New York (WWNY) - A ski hill, an ice-skating rink, and even a tattoo shop are all part of a magical winter wonderland: Carlton’s village.

The master behind this display is retired veteran Alonzo Carlton of Cape Vincent.

For 15 years, he’s put out a holiday display. The village has expanded throughout the years and each year there’s a different layout.

“All of it is special, but as I’m putting it up, especially the houses, there are certain houses that go in certain places, and I stand back and I look at it, and if doesn’t look right I move stuff around constantly.”

Carlton says he typically starts to build the village right after the spooky season ends.

“I’ll sit here sometime, until 10 o’clock at night, no dinner and I work on the village, go to sleep and get up in the morning and i do the same thing all over again.”

He says it’s easy to spot anything you’ll find in a real-life village here in Carlton’s village.

“I work from the back to the front, and nothing goes in the front here unless the two levels are done.”

Carlton says this holiday tradition started after his mother-in-law first gave the Carlton family a couple of houses.

This year Carlton had a special little helper.

“We made an effort into the village, and it turned out to look like a magical wonderland,” his grandson, Max Carlton, said.

Carlton says one day he’ll pass on the entire collection to his grandson.

“But if I don’t buy a house by then, there’s going to be one problem,” Max Carlton said. “If i still go into my room I will not have enough space.”

Until then, Max says one of his favorite pieces of the village is the cherub fountain.

It’s a family holiday tradition held for more than a decade.

The Carltons will host an open house on December 10.

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