FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — One man's new Christmas tradition is quite the tribute to his city. It's something that takes a whole lot of patience, but people are loving how it's all turning out.
"People are always pretty surprised when they hear it's just Styrofoam, Elmer's, and paint!" said Gregg Zollinger, meticulously working on a piece.
Zollinger lives in Franklin. He loves downtown.
"We love the energy that it has," he said. "I love seeing the old buildings."
A few years ago, when Zollinger's wife was looking to buy a little Christmas Village, Zollinger had this idea. What if downtown Franklin became something of a muse to create a Christmas Village himself?
"I thought, 'wouldn't it be cool if all the buildings in our Christmas Village were these great downtown Franklin buildings with so much history and connection to where we live?'" he said.
Zollinger's miniature Styrofoam recreations include Franklin Theatre and Gray's on Main.
Zollinger started doing these Christmas 2020. Every Christmas since then, he's done another recreation of a downtown Franklin building. There are now five miniatures.
I asked Zollinger how he got started doing this kind of art. I did not expect his answer.
"Growing up I played Dungeons & Dragons!" he said.
A few years ago, Zollinger decided he'd paint the figures that came with the game and then add a few things of his own like tiny trees and rocks.
"It is unusual, but you can kinda see how it connects!" he laughed. "It's still miniatures and painting and art and craft."
He just kept getting better at this. When the Christmas Village started, Zollinger was zeroing in on the details around the city.
"It's probably about 50 hours I spend on each one of them, a little more, a little less," Zollinger said.
He captures the texture of bricks. He even added some movies to the Now Showing banner of his Franklin Theatre miniature. These are the things that make it all come alive.
"That's the main reason it takes so long!" Zollinger laughed.
As he decides what downtown building to take on next year, Zollinger continues a tribute to a city using skills learned through playing Dungeons & Dragons. It's all now a Christmas-time tradition and gift for his wife. It's all about the details.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
In this job, we have the opportunity to meet truly remarkable people. The Sullivan family has faced incredibly tough times, but time and time again, turn their grieving into giving. What an honor to tell their story.
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