Donna Riley-Lein

Features Editor

SILVERHILL, Ala. – There is a super-secret train line that runs from the North Pole to Silverhill, Ala.

And while we won't mention names, it seems the Big Red Elf and his wife have been using it for not-so-clandestine visits to Wales West.

According to Ann Zadnichek, a Wales West owner, The “Arctic Express” makes its way around the RV park on a regular schedule taking riders past elaborately decorated displays to Santa's southern workshop on the grounds. Rides vary by date, and what's happening, so it's best to go to their website, waleswest.com for complete information.

“We've been doing this (The Arctic Express rides to Santa) for six years now,” said Zadnichek. “It's a source of family joy.”

This year, Zadnicheck added that there are some new things added to the Silverhill event. “We learned that for a family, it's nice to have more to do,” she said. The new items include a petting zoo from Emerson Farms in Summerdale, pony rides, a “living Nativity,” and a “snowball” cannon.

The petting zoo has a miniature horse named, “Bumper,” a 6-month-old Brahman bull named “Gabriel,” a miniature bull named “Dexter,” a spotted pot-bellied pig, sheep, lambs, goats (one of the Pygmy Goats is pregnant) and other creatures for youngsters to look at, touch (gently), and feed if they wish to deposit a quarter in the feed machines.

“Everything is very gentle,” said Brandy Emerson, who oversees the zoo. “The kids have a wonderful time.”

While the animals are tame, Emerson says it's best for parents keep a close eye on their youngsters. Hand sanitizer is available to clean little and not so little hands after touching the animals. 

A group of youngsters visiting from Spanish Fort Elementary, appeared a little hesitant to approach the animals, but with a little encouragement from Emerson and watching some of their bolder peers, they were soon enjoying the barnyard treat.

Zadnichek says the “snowball” cannon actually shoots tennis balls.

“We modified our pumpkin canon,” chuckled Zadnichek, relating how they tried to find white tennis balls , which usually come in “optical yellow.” Painting the balls resulted in the paint coming off. Youngsters may purchase balls to shoot at cutouts of known Christmas baddies, like the Abominable Snowman and others. If youngsters hit the cut-out, they get a certificate that they “saved Christmas with the Wales West Snowball Blaster.”

For youngsters who want to do holiday shopping without a parent, there is the “Elves Emporium,” a place where children my select pre-wrapped  gifts, to prevents adults from “peeking,” Zadnichek says, for 50 cents to $1. There are plenty of costumed “elves” on hand to assist youngsters.

“Children want to shop on their own,” said Zadnichek. “This is a good way to let them do that.”

On weekends, there are carolers and a local violinist on the grounds to add to the festive spirit.

The park hosts several school field trips a week. The groups range from 50-100 youngsters.

“We have children from public, private schools and daycares from Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia County in Florida, said Zadnichek.

Of course, the highlight of the trip is a ride on the park's Arctic Express (the temporarily re-named “Lady Ann”) a coal-fired replica of a Welsh train.

According to Zadnichek, she and her husband, Ken, got the idea of adding their own Welsh railroad while on a trip to Wales.

“We were riding a train, and my husband said that the valley we were riding through looked like our valley back home. The next year, we were looking at trains.”