By Sarah Light
For the past six months, Bill and Raelyn Webster have spent hundreds of hours with their committees developing their creations.
They have, like any other artist, wanted to make their masterpieces perfect.
But their medium isn”t oils or pastels: it”s candy.
Monday night, Utah County and the Provo City Arts Council unveiled the eight new candy window displays on Center Street as part of the third of five WinterFest 2004 festivities.
The displays, which represent this year”s theme, “O Christmas Tree,” incorporated thousands of candies such as jellybeans, Tart N Tinys, gumballs and licorice, to create fascinating scenes of the holiday icons.
The Websters” candy display is in front of the Japanese restaurant Osaka, located on 46 W. Center St.
The Websters spent approximately $1,000 on the candy for the display, said Nancy Lin, whose husband owns the Osaka restaurant on.
The display incorporates a large stack of colorfully-wrapped presents, which are primarily made out of gumballs, with several other gifts that could be under a Christmas tree: a keyboard, a teddy bear, a jack-in-the-box and a toy bus.
The Websters, who won last year”s competition for their “Gift of Peace” display at the Osaka restaurant, drove from New York to bring their display to Provo
Although the project required a combined effort of approximately 1,000 hours, Raelyn Webster said she always wanted to create a candy display.
“It”s really fun when people first see the windows-especially little kids,” she said. She likes to see the happiness that enters people”s faces, she said.
Kathryn S. Allen, executive director of the Provo Arts Council, said during the past five years of the displays, the scenes have evolved from being simple, one-dimensional pieces into being complex, three-dimensional works of art.
Allen said the council started the tradition for the candy window displays after the former ZCMI buildings in Salt Lake City stopped their presentations.
“We picked up the baton to carry on the tradition,” she said.
Allen said the responses to the displays have been overwhelmingly positive.
“The intital reaction is ”Wow! Is that all candy?”” she said.
Many other people have also expressed that they are excited to see the Salt Lake tradition carried on in Provo, Allen said
Richard Borget, an owner of the Bernina shop on 268 W. Center St., said the candy displays outside his store have had many other positive effects. The displays have helped draw people in and have helped to create a better atmosphere downtown, he said.
Matt Campbell, an owner of the Somethin” Sweet store on 22 W. Center St. said he has also noticed an increase in the number of people coming into his business.
“I don”t know why you wouldn”t want to come [see the displays],” he said.
Candy presentations can also be found at Holladay Furs, Provo Art and Frame Window, Mullett-Hoover Jewelry and Pier 49 along Center Street.
The winner of the displays will be announced at the First Night 2005 celebration, which is the climax of the WinterFest 2004 activities.
In the mean time, other WinterFest events, including a live nativity at the Provo Tabernacle Park Dec. 9-12, will continue throughout the month of December to help bring the spirit of Christmas to the people of Utah County.
