-We're here in Loyal Heights at the Nutcracker House.
And I'm one of the homeowners, John Carrington,
along with... -Scott McElhose.
♪♪
-So these figures were originally part of a windows
display in Chicago at Marshall Field's Department store.
And after they were done with them
that season, they joined Pacific
Northwest Ballet in the lobby for photo pictures.
I had worked for Pacific
Northwest Ballet as the harpist
in the orchestra for over 20 years.
So when that production
was retired after over 30 years,
I asked permission to borrow a couple of them
because I knew they were just kind of
sitting in storage trucks in Fremont at the warehouse,
not really being enjoyed or seeing the light of day.
So the original two figures were The Nutcracker
and the Mouse King.
And then the next year we added
Godfather Drosselmeyer and the little boy, Fritz.
-The big Nutcracker weighs about 800 pounds and it's 15
feet tall.
We get the neighborhood together,
there's eight guys, and we
drive it out here and set it up against that tree.
(water spilling)
(scraping on gravel sound)
-More.
-Okay, stop.
-I've been helping John and Scott do the
the rigging for The Nutcracker since 2015.
-No?! -It's got to come back towards you.
-We all get together as a neighborhood,
and they put out coffee and donuts, and we all muck in
and get it done.
♪♪
-The week before Christmas,
it's crazy around here.
The cars are just lined up. People getting out.
Probably should have someone directing traffic.
-I think anyone that likes smart cracker,
this is a perfect place for families, for their kids
and definitely immerses you into the story.
-It's our gift to the community
for children and also the young at heart.
But there's so many other people
that have helped make this happen:
from the ballet's donation,
to the neighbors that set it up, it's not just our thing,
it's kind of truly a community project.
♪♪