Summit Township household continues holiday tradition with 386 snowmen on display
SUMMIT TWP — Frosty is the most popular snowman of the Christmas season.
But at the Parker residence on Protzman Road, he has plenty of company.
Nancy Parker has been married to her husband, Rick, for 44 years. They have lived in the same house since their wedding day. And Nancy has been collecting snowmen since the year the couple wed.
“You wouldn’t believe there’s so many different (snowmen), but there are,” Rick said.
“My grandfather used to collect mechanical toys, like dogs, reindeer, whatever,” Nancy recalled. “That was always so much fun. When I got married, I wanted to begin a collection of my own. I chose snowmen.”
And she hasn’t stopped. She now has 386 snowmen — all different.
Year after year, her collection grows. Rick and one of their nephews, Kevin Motko, make sure they get Nancy a new snowman or two every year.
“They’re my enablers,” Nancy said, laughing. “I still get a lot on my own, too. Hallmark comes out with a new snowman every year, and I always get that one.”
Rick said any time he stumbles upon a snowman while out and about, he makes it a point to grab it.
That’s provided Nancy doesn’t already have it.
“Kevin is the one who knows,” Rick said. “If we see a snowman somewhere, he knows right away if she has it or not. I don’t know how he knows, but he knows.”
Motko said the snowmen often have a feature or two that set them apart.
“It’s a fun collection and a tradition that matches my aunt and uncle’s playful personalities,” Motko said.
Some snowmen were purchased at garage sales. Some have been gifts from family members and friends. Others came courtesy of Peter’s Chocolate Shoppe in Butler, where Nancy worked.
“They had a few in the basement that weren’t going to be used, and I was welcome to them,” she said.
Her snowman collection features outdoor and indoor displays. They get put up each year over Thanksgiving weekend and don’t get stored away until February. The storage area is in a bedroom previously occupied by the Parkers’ son when he was a child.
“We’ve put up storage shelves in there. The snowmen take up the entire room,” Nancy said. “Our son can’t come back and live there again,” she added, chuckling.
The snowmen have taken over.
On the front porch, by the entrance of the home, stands a 4-foot-tall snowman to welcome visitors. On that porch are rows and rows of snowmen. One is walking a dog. Another is on a sleigh. One is inside a snow globe; another is making snow cones. One is on a toboggan, some are candles, another is dressed in a Santa suit ... and on and on and on.
Many of the snowmen are battery operated. They light up, sing or dance.
“It takes four 36-packs of AA batteries and a bunch of AAA batteries to keep these things operating every year,” Rick said. “People enjoy them, though. It’s worth the time and effort to get everything set up.”
There is no escaping the snowmen inside the Parker home. A snowman tree — featuring a snowman head on the top and numerous snowman ornaments — is set up downstairs. The kitchen consists of snowmen-themed cookie jars, a tea pot, coffee mugs, a wine bottle and drinking glasses.
The bathroom has a shelf that snowmen sit on, their feet dangling over the edge.
The display in the front yard attracts plenty of attention.
“People drive by and slow down when they approach our house,” Nancy said. “Some will stop, get out of the car ... people have asked us if it’s OK for them to take pictures of their kids standing next to the snowmen. Of course, we love that.”
The Parkers have three grandchildren. They host the extended family for the holidays every year.
“Our grandkids love coming here,” Nancy said. “They already have their favorite snowmen picked out to be passed down to them at some point. They put their initials on the bottom of the snowmen they want.”
Nancy admitted she doesn’t see her fascination with snowmen ending anytime soon. She just got a pair of snowman shoes this year to wear around the house. She has snowman earrings as well.
“There are always snowmen to purchase through catalogs, at sales. We’ll just keep this going,” she said.
