Higginson: When Poway almost shut down Santa

Editor’s note: Former Poway City Councilman and Mayor Don Higginson will be writing a monthly column. He is calling it “A No-Brainer,” after a comment he would often make during coucil meetings.

One of the lessons I learned as an elected official was the need to address the inevitable neighbor vs. neighbor conflict.

From barking dogs to uncontrolled loud parties, each opportunity could morph into a dire (and often emotional) situation. Each brought unique challenges requiring open dialogue. There would be some give and take and even at times, a sanity check. However, the results were usually worth the effort.

Fortunately, Poway has had very few “Hatfield-McCoy” moments. Nevertheless, there was the time in 1999 when Poway almost shut down Santa.

It all began in 1935 in Berkeley, California with the birth of identical twin boys, John and James Huish. These brothers, as with many twins, grew up inseparable. In 1954 they decided to enlist in the Army, invoked the military “twin’s clause” (at the time not available to brothers or triplets) and were off to serve together in France. Following the Army they ventured to college and within 30 days after graduating they had built the first miniature golf course in Springville, Utah where their highest “revenue day” was $87. Undeterred, they began looking for affordable land in Northern California. When their search proved unsuccessful, they turned their attention to Southern California. They opened their first California park in La Mesa. The Huish Family Fun Centers (they were the first to combine go-carts, batting cages, and bumper cars with a miniature golf course) soon sprang up throughout California, Oregon and Washington.

In 1984 tragedy struck when James was killed in a construction accident at one of their parks. Over the next 30 years John built a nationwide chain of family entertainment centers along with the Bullwinkle Restaurant franchise. In 2009 he built “Cowabunga Bay”— his first water park in Utah followed by another water park in Henderson, Nevada. In 2013, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) honored John and James by inducting them into their Hall of Fame (joining the only other brother inductees, Roy and Walt Disney).

Now, back to 1999. Following a one- of-a-kind 65th birthday bash for John and a friend at his home on Joyas Court in North Poway (this included a parade and a number of buildings from his old parks) his dear wife Kathy suggested they save everything and provide a Christmas event including Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus.

On Dec. 1, 1999 I received a “passionate” call from John wanting to know “What has the city done with my signs?!” He had put up his signs on Espola Road. In meeting with the city manager the following day we discovered the city had removed his signs and put them in storage. Following a meeting with John to learn about his plans the city manager pulled me aside saying, “I can just see the “Turko Files” on TV tomorrow night — “Poway is trying to shut down Santa — It just ain’t right.”

We worked it out. That first event by John and Kathy (Mr. & Mrs. Claus) evolved into a 15-year tradition. Of course there were the normal neighbor concerns as this event grew larger every year. John agreed to hire security, cone off streets, limit hours and he worked diligently with the city safety volunteers. Every Sept. 15, a moving van removes all the furniture from the Huish home as Kathy replaced it with 12,000 stuffed toys, lights and ornaments. Over the years 190 Santa volunteers have kept the party going. This year’s event (12 nights) attracted 14,000 attendees with Santa delivering 650 gallons of cider, 2200 dozen cookies and nearly 10,000 toys (all paid for by Mr. & Mrs. Claus).

As father age begins to creep in, Mr. & Mrs. Claus will be retiring. So, to trumpet Turko, “Santa, we certainly understand — but it just ain’t right.”

Thanks for the memories.

Higginson is a former Poway City Council member and mayor.