Gift to Hamlet Glows in Christmas Spirit

Thousands of Christmas lights twinkling brightly from this tiny remote Modoc County town in California’s northeast corner can be seen for miles.

Truck drivers passing through spread the word over CBs to other truckers to re-route themselves through Canby to see the “unbelievable Christmas displays out here in the boonies.”

Lining both sides of narrow, two-lane California 299 approaching the half-block-long business district of downtown Canby are 21 large lighted holiday scenes, decorated by members of a religious community.

Townspeople as Models

There are life-size statues depicting events from the life of Christ, a re-creation of the town of Bethlehem and Old Testament scenes. Among other scenes are an Indian village, a Mexican village, characters from the “Wizard of Oz,” St. Francis Assisi with a collection of life-size carved animals and mock-ups of fairy tales.

Nearly all the faces on the figures are the faces of the residents of Canby, population 400. Sculptor Larry Trotter, 39, used the townspeople as live models for his creations.

“People drive hundreds of miles to this little place out in the middle of nowhere just to see our Christmas displays,” said Keith Sherer, 60, a lifelong Canby resident who runs the local gas station and mini-mart.

Sheila Flynn, 60, who came here from Scotland, has worked at the Canby post office for 27 years and has been postmaster the last two. She said strangers stop by every day to learn who puts all the time and effort into building the displays.

For the last nine years the men, women and children of I’SOT (I Search For Truth), a religious community headquartered in Canby, has created the displays.

“People passing through town have no idea what this is all about. They have no idea who is doing it. This is our gift to those who happen to come to Canby. This is what Christmas is all about, the giving of gifts,” Marie Tolbert explained.

Tolbert, 58, and her husband, Joseph, 41, are ordained Evangelical ministers who serve as executive directors of the I’SOT nondenominational community consisting of 49 buildings on 700 acres of farm and ranch land.

Members of the community eat in common dining rooms. They receive room and board and $60 a month for spending money. The rest of what they earn is put back into the operation of I’SOT.

Operates Group Home for Juveniles

The religious community operates a state-licensed group home for juveniles 8 to 18 sent here by county probation departments as far south as Kern County for involvement in assaults, burglaries, robberies and other problems. The youths stay here from three to 18 months, with 70 boys and girls here at any given time.

Modoc County operates an elementary and high school for the juvenile delinquents on the grounds. I’SOT operates its own kindergarten-through-12 school for 55 children of the religious community, which accounts for 170 of the 400 residents of Canby.

All the adults of the religious community assist in running the group home, which receives $1.7 million a year from county probation departments for housing, feeding and caring for the juveniles and residents.