Tucked in a quiet West Shore neighbourhood lies Whoville – rather, a recreation of it just in time for the holiday season.
The Grinch can be spotted on Sarah Place, stealing a string of lights with his trusted dog, Max, as the residents of Whoville gather around the town Christmas tree. The entire set-up has been growing for the past five years, thanks to the combined efforts of a Colwood family.
“My dad grew tired of decorating our roof with lights so we decided to do something completely different,” said Dani Cyr, daughter of Kevin Cyr, the man who cut plywood to create every piece of Whoville.
Dani’s mom had the idea to start a collection of the Grinch, and the family jumped on board.
READ MORE: PHOTOS: Colwood house decorated to the nines with Christmas inflatables
With the help of Dani’s sister Stephanie, Kevin created 18 characters, including Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch himself – that alone took four days to complete from start to finish.
At the start of December, he set up the yard with music from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas and the Whoville residents standing over six feet tall.
When it isn’t the holiday season, the plywood cutouts are stored in their basement, where Kevin can create new projects for the future.
Dani recalls a heartwarming moment when a young girl saw the cutouts for the first time with her family last year. Dani said the girl came back the next day and brought a rock that she had painted with the Grinch on it to give to them.
“He puts so much work into these, we sometimes call him the Grinch cause he’s a retired navy guy,” said Dani. “He’s such a softie, he just doesn’t know it.”
Find Whoville in all its glory at 2416 Sarah Pl.
aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com