Christmas came early for Don Fyrk and his wife Wendy, recently coming home with a 10-foot tall Santa Claus statue from the Prince Albert landfill.
“I thought, well that’s a shame he’s getting thrown away. It’s too bad somebody couldn’t take him and restore him,” Fyrk said.
The couple was dropping off their trash when they noticed Old Saint Nick waving at the top of the hill. After sweet-talking the landfill staff, the Fyrks loaded Santa onto a trailer and took him home with the goal of restoring him to his former glory.
Fyrk is calling this Santa a piece of Prince Albert history, saying he remembers seeing it at City Hall as a kid.
“I just fell in love with him,” Fyrk said.
This Santa has seen jollier days which is why the city says it decided to retire him. With a little work, Fyrk thinks Saint Nick can still spread Christmas cheer.
“It’s going to be a lot of fibre glassing, lots of sanding, and lots of love going into it. Hopefully he’s going to be presentable when he’s done.”
The Santa sat in front of city hall for years before making a move to Optimist Tourist Park. Just like the real Santa, Fyrk says nobody seems to know how old he really is or where he came from.
The Fyrks hope anyone with information or old pictures with Santa will come forward so Santa’s story can be pieced together.
Their goal is to restore Santa and have him waving in their front yard by Christmas.
