The normally quiet road leading to the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds was packed with bumper-to-bumper traffic Dec. 20. The glow from headlights and taillights glistened on the damp pavement, reflecting the twinkle of Christmas lights up ahead at the front entrance of the fairgrounds. As each car reached the end of the line, it was met by fair manager John Steffanic, who welcomed excited families with a smile, a chuckle and a well-delivered spiel directing them through the event: the final day of Chipper’s Christmas Wonderland. The joy in the night air was palpable.
Chipper’s Christmas Wonderland is a free drive-through lighted holiday display that has become an annual tradition for many Plumas County locals. During December, the fairgrounds are transformed to feature dozens of hand-painted wooden forms depicting holiday scenes and characters, accompanied by thousands of sparkling Christmas lights.
A new favorite tradition
The Christmas Wonderland was started in the aftermath of the 2021 Dixie Fire, when residents needed a sense of community and hope. Steffanic, who had dreamed for years of setting up a Christmas event, finally received the green light from the fair foundation and invested in a bevy of commercial string lights. He located a company that sold holiday-themed wooden form templates, and, in his words, “bought every single pattern they had.”
Then began the real work: dozens of community volunteers navigated the remnants of the fairgrounds firecamps and the still-stringent restrictions of COVID in order to meticulously hand-paint the wooden forms now showcased in the display. This outpouring of creative spirit resulted in a spectacle that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
This spirit was apparent on Dec. 20. Driving through the fairgrounds, visitors were greeted by a gingerbread village, a nativity scene, a family of old-fashioned carolers and reindeers galore. Cheeky penguins played on light posts, and the Grinch got up to his usual hijinks. A lighted display in the horticultural area depicted scenes from “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” and Chipper himself peaked over the “J” in a large red “Joy” sign.
Santa made several appearances in displays throughout the fairgrounds, and was waiting in person to greet each visitor as they prepared to leave the event. He was accompanied by Mrs. Claus, who offered smiles, friendly words and candy canes from the basket she carried.
“The best part is seeing the little kids’ faces light up when they see us.”
Cheryl Kolb, Mrs. Claus
Mrs. and Mr. Claus were played by East Quincy resident Cheryl Kolb and her real-life husband, Matthew Haesche. They have been donning the red suits for around three or four years now. The Kolb-Haesche family is active within the fair community, and three out of four children in the family have worn the Chipper suit at parades and fairs throughout the years. For Kolb, the Christmas Wonderland event in particular is a deeply cherished experience. “The best part is seeing the little kids’ faces light up when they see us,” she said.
Kolb urged everyone to “come out and enjoy the lights!” A true community event, the display of lights and hand-painted works of art is free to the public. “If people would like to donate,” she said, “Santa has an extra boot at the gate.”
Hard work, but worth it
Chipper’s Christmas Wonderland runs Thursday and Friday nights from 6-8 p.m. during the weeks leading up to Christmas. The event normally starts the first Thursday in December, the same weekend as the Main Street Sparkle, but kicked off a week late this year due to illness. However, even though the 2024 season lasted just two weekends, people attended in droves. Steffanic estimates around 240 cars visited the display over the four nights of its operation. Friday night, vehicles entered at the rate of one every minute from the moment they opened until shortly before closing.
Of course, an event of this magnitude is not all fun and games. Steffanic handles most of the set-up with a little help from community volunteers; it generally takes him about a month to get everything in place. He uses over 15,000 staples annually on the lights alone. One of the biggest challenges is getting all the spotlights perfectly placed to showcase the hand-painted wooden displays — an undertaking that he says requires “hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of feet of extension cord.”
“It’s a dream come true for me.”
John Steffanic, Plumas County fair manager
It’s all worth it when the cars start lining up, and he sees the eager faces of kids peering out the windows. “It’s a dream come true for me,” Steffanic said. “Something I have wanted to do my whole life.” His big question now is: who will take over when he retires?
