Santa Claus and his elves have been very busy getting toys ready for Christmas. But the elves are getting older and also getting slower, so what must Santa do? Just what the big companies and corporations are doing today-outsourcing. But not as far away as India-heavens no, the toys would never be ready on time.
Santa is outsourcing, by coincidence, to a town named Outing, in northern Minnesota. There lives a man named Bill Jackman, who used to be a Camden resident. He has a humble abode filled with antiques and collectibles, woodworking equipment and toys. He says that all winter long the cabin is a mess. There is a scroll saw, a band saw and a drill press all sitting on the kitchen floor. This is how he keeps busy in retirement.
His boyhood home was at 4110 Queen Ave. N. The house had originally been a back cabin for Crystal Lake, possibly owned by someone who had cabins by the shore. It was actually located closer to Crystal Lake Cemetery. When the stork brought Bill, the house was added on to for $300, as with only sisters before, they needed a bigger house. Bill attended Loring Elementary, then Henry High, and later when married had four children. He had several different occupations, including being a school bus driver for Robbinsdale for 30 years. After moving to Outing in 1991, he commenced his woodworking hobby. Through this he finds a purpose in life, which is to help others and make people happy.
His father is the reason he became involved in woodworking. It was the depression when he was growing up and families did not have a lot of money. Bill's father would make all the toys for him and his siblings. One of the toys was Lincoln logs made from pieces of birch. He said, "I was the only kid with square Lincoln logs."
A strong spirit of giving also came from his father. "That's the way we were raised," he said, and he is thankful for what his father taught him.
So now this "modern day Santa" is working for Santa Claus, trying to get all the orders filled. The only difference is that he works at it all year long, not just around Christmas time. It started with making toys for his children, his nephews and nieces, and then his five grandchildren. He makes tiny log cabin/doll houses complete with dresser, stove, refrigerator, bed, picnic table and more. He makes tiny elves out of round and square blocks of wood. Their clothing consists of felt pieces and tiny cotton balls, with an acorn top for a cap.
Then there are semi-trucks and what he calls "stick trucks," which are made with Popsicle sticks and resemble old farm pickups. They come with a bucket in the back to fill the radiator when it overheats. There are old-fashioned wood sleds, Adirondack lawn chairs and miniature sailboats, plus Lincoln logs. All toys have a rustic appearance.
Most of Jackman's woodwork does not take much time to complete. For instance, he says semis can be done in a couple days since he makes many of the smaller pieces in bulk. When he makes the mini picnic tables for dollhouses, for example, he can cut out 30-40 of them from one piece of wood. He uses mostly scrap wood, furnished by local carpenters, and also a large supply of Popsicle sticks for things like his mini sleds and the gate around the beds of his pickups.
By last year, he had made 869 log cabin/doll houses, 29 semi-trucks and 168 stick trucks. He also went through 8,600 elf dolls. A specialty item, that can be hung on the wall, is a thick wood cutout of two feet which is inscribed, "Justa Walkin' with Jesus, Forever Side by Side."
Many of his items have gone to hospitals, daily vacation bible schools, libraries and such. Even to the White House, when his granddaughter thought Bill Clinton's daughter would like a doll house, and yes, he got a thank-you note. His elves have even made it into Christmas packages for soldiers in Iraq. His craftsmanship pops up at churches, car dealerships, airports and various other spots without any planning on his part.
This modem day Santa's other hobbies are writing and drawing. He tells many of his adventures of growing up in Camden in a small handbook and, after having taken art classes at Henry, can sketch almost anything. He does not know when he will ever be finished with woodworking. For now, he just wants to keep busy and help others by utilizing his skills.
I think I hear the phone ringing-it's Santa with another big order. "Hello. Yes, Santa-it'll be there day after tomorrow."
Note: Some of Bill Jackman's adventures of growing up in Camden will be related at a future date.
