Once Upon A Christmas

By Gordon HopkinsThe ubiquitous artwork currently being seen in the windows of businesses throughout Fairbury are known as window splashes. It is a form of advertising that originated in the 1960s and 1970s. Temporary, eye-catching artwork in shop windows are often used to advertise sales or for local promotion. The occasional Fairbury Jeff Man honoring the local sports teams are a familiar sight.Holidays are an especially popular theme for window splashes and they are especially prominent this Christmas season. For those wondering why those Christmas displays seem to be everywhere this year, they can thank the hard work of Tony Boettjer, better known by his nom de plume, Tony Once.The artist known as Tony Once has been providing window splashes for a number of years. He said, “It wasn’t until a few years ago that it really kind of took off. But this year is the complete theme around town, which is ‘Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer.’” That famous reindeer, Rudolph, first appeared in a 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May and published by Montgomery Ward. The Chicago-based department store. had been buying and giving away booklets for Christmas every year and it was decided to creating their own book to save money. Here is an interesting bit of trivial: May originally considered Reginald and Rollo as possible names for “the most famous reindeer of all” before settling on Rudolph.The story later became immortalized in the perennial Christmas carol of the same. It was the song, rather than the book, that was adapted as an animated special for television by producers Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass in 1964.Characters from that special are most associated in the public’s mind with “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer” and it is those characters, as well as those from other Rankin and Bass holiday specials, that show up in Once’s window artwork this season.Once said, “I just really love to create and this holiday is one of the times where a lot of people are very appreciative. I have elderly people and random strangers come up to me in July, thanking me for my Christmas windows.” Once finds himself inspired by what he calls the “Hallmark-esque” look of Fairbury.“I grew up a Christmas kid. Yeah, Christmas movies with mom, old Hallmark movies,” said Once. “Fairbury is a Hallmark-esque town to me. I look at the structures of the architecture and the facades of the downtown square, and I see Hallmark movies.”Once was artistic at an early age, “I was born and raised in Chicago. I used to paint trains as a kid, so that’s why I like to work late.”Working late at night also explains the surprise some people have when his window art appears. Once has heard on more than one occasion, “Wow! that popped up overnight.”Once found an outlet for his artistic drive in his 20s when he owned a sign shop in Homewood, Alabama, “Originally, I used to own a sign shop, and the old 70s splashes sales stuff, that’s originally where it came from, and being an illustrator and cartoon fanatic fan artist is where that progressed from.”Although still a professional artist, these days, his art is more about the art than a way to make a living, “This isn’t my full-time position. I create to create, and I’m a multi facet artist, and commission based.”Tony Once’s art can be seen year-round, such as murals done for the Fairbury City Museum and Schmidt Machine.

Gage County Supervisor Elected NACO Officer

Jefferson County Commissioners Move To Meet Every Other Week In 2026

Related Articles

Albert Scherbarth

City Votes To Move Forward With Water Treatment Plant

State Receiving Over $7 Million In Grants For Waste Reduction

Bridal Expo