CLEARFIELD — Some of Clearfield County’s most beloved seasonal transplants have closed out their career.
After spending 60 years of providing seasonal delight for children and adults through the weeks between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, Rudolph and Little Rudy said goodbye to Progressland, following their final engagement Saturday, Dec. 21, and have returned to the North Pole.
“Rudolph and Little Rudy have had a long and tremendously successful career. They brought the joy of Christmas to countless men, women and children of Progressland and while we are sorry to see them go, we certainly understand their desire to complete their time in Progressland and return to the North Pole. We have been blessed to have them for the 60 years that they have been here. They are much loved and we want to wish them well in their retirement,” The Progress’ Publisher Pat Patterson said.
Rudolph and Little Rudy were the brain child of former owner and The Progress Publisher W.K. Ulerich, who came up with the idea in 1964 as a way to spread goodwill during the holidays and support Clearfield’s downtown merchants. Former Publisher Margaret “Margie” Krebs kept the tradition alive during her tenure as president of the newspaper and allowed the areas of Clearfield County the reindeer visited to be expanded.
Various accounts note, the two were on loan from Santa Claus each year. They visited Clearfield County for a period of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve when the jolly old elf gives them a leave of absence from their duties at the North Pole. During their appearances, they served as ambassador for Christmas as they greeted boys and girls and sent reports to Santa concerning who was good or bad.
Rudolph is the older of the two deer. He is taller, with darker fur and has 6-point antlers. Little Rudy joined him several years later and the two have been a lively and powerful representation of the holiday season in Clearfield County ever since.
An article, published in The Progress, noted during their 1973 visits, they handed out 2,836 lollipops and numerous candy canes. They made 23 appearances between Nov. 24 and Dec. 22 of that year with five additional appearances being rained out.
In 1970, The Progress reported, they were welcomed to Clearfield after Santa Claus brought them to town in his brand-new plane. They parachuted out over Coal Hill and Russell Tice picked them up on his snowmobile and brought them to town.
Their appearances, through the years have been possible with a bit of help from many friends — the numbers are too high to count. The duo has been escorted — most recently by Dave and Amy Duke of Clearfield. But prior to that, Pat Domico of Curwensville, and his wife Joan, accompanied them for 30 years
Other handlers include Tice, Burton Thomas, and the original handler, Gil Frame, who worked in the The Progress’ display advertising department.
Amy Duke, said in 2002 when she was managing editor of the The Progress, she was asked by Krebs to serve as the team’s escort. She said she and her husband, Dave were honored to take the reins.
With help from Jill Ogden, another Progress newsroom staff member, they embarked on their first year chaperoning the reindeer.
“We enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again the following year, and now here we are more than 20 years later,” Amy Duke said, adding, “We have just been one of many reindeer’s chaperones.”
Duke said, “Through the support of countless enthusiastic participants, including our children, Rachel and Sean, and a wonderful group of teens and adults, Rudolph and Little Rudy were able to visit various communities adding joy to the holiday season,” she said.
She provided an example of just how much Progressland’s children and adults appreciate the reindeer.
“On Dec. 14, at the Mid-Century Christmas Celebration in Philipsburg, the dynamic duo was greeted by a steady flow of visitors, including one woman who was excited to pose for a photo with them. She shared that her first picture with the reindeer was taken when she was two-years-old. This is just one of many instances where people have sought to revisit their memories with the reindeer through photos. Bringing Rudolph and Rudy to these communities has become part of our family’s holiday season — a journey filled with joy and connection with amazing people. The most rewarding part has been seeing the delight on children’s faces. Rudolph and Rudy have been to countless Christmas celebrations. Our family has been honored to contribute to this cherished 60-year tradition,” Duke said.
Domico told The Progress, he took the duo to various community events and holiday parades throughout Clearfield County. “Although it started out mostly in Clearfield’s downtown, it soon grew and everybody was calling to schedule appearances. They wanted Rudolph and Little Rudy to come to their communities. We went from Penfield to Westover and Coalport to Karthaus and all points in-between,” he noted.
Domico said, “Once I started taking them around, it got into my blood and I loved doing it. It was many years but I never regretted it once.”