The Joy Project – LeRoy, NY

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The Joy Project

Location

1 East Main St., LeRoy. Parking is available in St. Mark’s parking lot at the corner of East Main and Church Sts. Enter the building at the door facing St. Mark’s St. Handicap parking is available on the street by the door.

The display is down one flight of stairs. There is no elevator.

What it is

The Joy Project is an exhibit inspired by the former Sibley’s Department Store in downtown Rochester. Open for the third year, it brings old-time Christmas to life in St. Mark’s Exhibit Hall.

A huge Christmas village and train display as well as “department store windows” with animatronics and accompanying story are the feature pieces of this exhibit, but there are also hand-painted murals of Christmases of yesteryear by local artist Lorie Longhany, a one-of-a-kind diorama of The Cinnamon Bear** from an old-time radio show, a Brio train table for the youngest ones to enjoy, a tiered Christmas tree with trains, and a display of Christmas cards through the years.  The “Christmas Shop” will also be open. 

Schedule

The Joy Project is FREE to visit and is open Saturdays from 10-4 and Sundays from 12-4 from the weekend after Thanksgiving to the weekend before Christmas.

“The Cinnamon Bear” Diorama

**A key feature of this exhibit is the one-of-a-kind diorama of the 1937 radio show “The Cinnamon Bear.”  Constructed by a Chicago-area model builder in the 1980s, it was displayed in a Chicago department store Christmas display, and when it needed a new home, this location was selected.  An extensive newscast was aired last year on Chicago PBS station WETA about this diorama and the need for a new home.  https://www.pbs.org/video/man-created-miniature-maybeland-in-his-portage-park-home-18h/

The Christmas Shop

The Christmas Shop is open for business, where you will find a wonderful assortment of affordable Christmas decorations and new gift items.

Here is a news report from Spectrum News from 2024 that gives an overview!

This article in the Genesee Valley Pennysaver gives a great overview of the project.  And the coverage in the Daily News gives more perspective.

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