Dazzling displays hope to draw visitors to historic Old Lutz School

Unique holiday displays inside Old Lutz School

Magical scenes of LEGO, model trains and nativity sets are among the holiday displays inside the historic Old Lutz School each year. 

LUTZ, Fla. - Magical scenes of LEGO, model trains and nativity sets are among the holiday displays inside the historic Old Lutz School each year.  

"Having the schoolhouse open for people to display their collections is a good way to get people to come to a building that otherwise they might not realize what it's for or why it's even there," Old Lutz School volunteer Jason Burkett said. 

The backstory:

Burkett first visited the school in 2018, offering some of his LEGO holiday sets to add to a small display.  The next year, he was building a large LEGO city. It's been growing and changing each year since then.

"That's my creative canvas. I don't have a talent for drawing or painting, but I can use the characters that I have available and make scenes to try to make people chuckle or even maybe roll their eyes at the silly humor and the puns that we try to build into it," Burkett said. 

The city currently takes up much of one of the four display rooms in the building. It features components from around 100 different LEGO sets. He changes the display every year, complete with a scavenger hunt for visitors. 

"You'll catch me sometimes taking photos of a crowd of people around the table because I kind of want to remember that it brought all those people together, crouching down. Moms, dads, and children, hands on their knees as they peer in through windows or look at the little scenes that there are to really be engaged with. The engagement is what makes it meaningful," Burkett said. 

The building was originally the third school built in Lutz in 1927. A larger K-8 replaced the school, and the building became an official historical landmark in 1996. The non-profit Citizens for the Old Lutz School are the stewards of the building, which features a museum filled with historical artifacts. 

"The goal of the non-profit is to preserve the number one building, continue the heritage and the traditions that have happened here, and to make people aware of it so that they can appreciate it," Old Lutz School community liaison Stephanie Ensor said. 

The idea to use fun displays to promote the building started early on. Volunteer Lawrence "Wally" Hoedt has been displaying model trains for 29 years. 

"I've got about 11 trains running. The train platform is about 40 feet by four feet. Lots of little hand painted houses, figurines, cars and all to make it look like a busy town," Hoedt said. 

What they're saying:

For the annual holiday event, themed Santa's Workshop this year, there are four rooms featuring displays, including nativity scenes, nutcrackers and Christmas trees. 

"It's been really fun to learn that they went from not knowing anything about it. Now they're walking out the door in amazement, and (saying) I can't wait until my parents come into town next week, and we're going to come back with them, and we are going to invite our group of friends to come with us and bring all the kids," Ensor said. "It's fun to see it become a tradition, and I've seen people come through year after year, and they're like, we don't miss it, it's just part of what we do."

What's next:

The Old Lutz School will open to the public on Dec. 18, 20, 23 and 26 from 6-8:30 p.m. Admission is free, but volunteers accept non-perishable foods and toys for families in need.