Retirement Hobby Becomes Local Tourist Attraction

Retirement Hobby Becomes Local Tourist Attraction AG WORLD 30-2-22 Jim Allen's efforts to construct a miniature version of his Irish hometown of Youghal, have been a giant labor of love. It's also becoming a popular tourist attraction. For the past 4 1/2 years, the 71-year-old Terrace, British Columbia man's keen memory has helped him design 22 replica buildings. His skills as a retired plasterer and painter have helped Allen do a beautiful job constructing the mini landmarks. They're solidly constructed with wooden frames, plaster walls, wooden shingles, and glass windows. Some of the structures are inlaid with real stones. Irish visitors have declared the model village to be an accurate depiction of the historic community, and locals have dubbed Allen, "Mayor of Tiny Town." Most of the little buildings' roofs are around five to six feet high. The town takes up about a 1/4 acre of space. He still has about half an acre available for new projects. The mini town includes: homes, churches, hotels, pubs, a betting office, a bakery, a YMCA, a cobbler, a bank, a post office, a gas station, a 12th century lighthouse tower (complete with revolving light), a river, a pond/harbor with fishing boats, and a realistic miniature mountain. Since there are always new projects to do, Allen works on the village most every day. He's currently completing a butcher shop and a gazebo/bandstand. To add authenticity and interest to his creations, Allen included details such as a neatly stacked pile of fire wood behind one home and an itty-bitty pair of shoes in the cobbler's window. Displayed in his front yard, the model village draws some 2,000 visitors per year from all over the world (validated by signatures in the guest book he keeps in a Plexiglas stand by the front gate). All of this attention inspired Allen to include a donation box to raise money for children with cancer. It features the photos of two local children who are currently battling the disease. After spending the first 21 years of his life in Youghal, Allen immigrated to Terrace shortly after marrying his wife, Josephine, from a nearby town. The couple has lived in Terrace all 49 years since, and although they've returned to visit the modern Irish city four times, they prefer their Canadian home. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Allen, 5134 Agar Ave., Terrace, B.C., Canada V8G 1J1 (ph 250 635-2417).

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