For 47 years Storybook Land has been an Albany Christmas tradition.
The Cascade Livestock Building at the Linn County Fairgrounds is filled with lights and displays showing scenes from nursery rhymes, fairy tales, movies, children's books and all kinds of stories.
Starting out with just 15 scenes in 1977, this year there were 140 scenes, including new additions like Clifford the Big Red Dog and Pete the Cat.
Displays are sponsored by local groups. Sometimes there are fun juxtapositions, like Blue Ox RV Park celebrating the tale of Paul Bunyan.
Sometimes there are interesting pairings. A display for the Nativity story was right next to a Star Wars display focusing on a different child.
In case there was any doubt...
Displays include paintings, plush, models, and other materials, often with simple animatronics.
Some are better executed than others, though the display area allotted also has an impact. My favorite was one of the largest.
It was full of bears of all types and sizes, doing different things.
In that way, it may have been a good microcosm of the entire hall. Everywhere you looked, there was something to see.
Some of it catches your eye more, or resonates more, but if there is something that doesn't, you will quickly spot something else.
I am not a huge fan of A Christmas Story, but I know many people who are. They should get a kick out of finding not just Ralphie, but also the leg lamp.
I was also impressed by several large dollhouses on display.
In addition to the sponsored displays, there were trees, Santas, and snowmen everywhere. Again, there was always something to catch the eye.
That included Mother Goose to tell stories, and a living Santa for pictures.
One sad part of reviewing seasonal attractions is that they can't all be reviewed before they end. We made it to Storybook Land on its last day. If it sounds delightful, you will have to wait until next year.
On the other hand, with this being such an established tradition, it seems safe to expect it will be back again some day.
The 47 year old tradition is popular with vendors, and while there is no admission, it collects donations for the Fish of Albany warehouse.
This was our first time hearing of it, but I hope we will make our way back to the exhibition hall again.
We liked what we saw.
COVID: While the hall is spacious, it also had a lot of people. I wore my mask while inside and recommend doing so. For other hygiene, as a livestock hall it had a bank of handwashing stations.
Accessibility: Possibly due to their association with a veteran's organization, they seem to be unusually good at this. As well as allowing services dogs and mobility aids, they have wheelchairs available.
Though you may notice the portable restroom out front, there are accessible bathrooms inside.
It is a very large hall, which does allow for wide lanes for navigation, but could also mean that someone without a chair might get tired. There are some benches here and there, but it makes sense to plan ahead.
There was also the option to schedule times for seniors or groups with special needs, so it should be possible to plan a good visit for a variety of situations.
https://christmasstorybookland.org/
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