How a Single Storefront Display Became Spring Lake's Christmas Train Village
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
It started with one shop window. Richard Clayton set up a holiday train display in a storefront so that people out holiday shopping would have something to stop and look at. According to TAPinto's December 2024 report, the tradition reached its 34th year that season. By then it had grown into a large community event and a fundraiser for local charities.
The village today is far bigger than one window, but the idea behind it is the same. It is still built by local businesses, for people who shop locally. Look closely at the miniature buildings and you are looking at a portrait of Spring Lake's commercial district, decorated by the shop owners themselves.
The model village isn't put together by one hobbyist working alone. TAPinto reported that each participating business pays $125 and gets a miniature building to decorate as a holiday version of its own store. In 2024, about 50 businesses took part.
The best part is how each shop reads its own personality into a tiny building. In that 2024 season:
So the village works like a yearly roll call. Each business that pays the fee and decorates a building is counted in that season's miniature town. Because the buildings are made fresh each year, the lineup can change from one season to the next, and the display reflects who is on the business roster at the time.
Around the storefronts, the 2024 display also had a miniature merry-go-round, a bumper car ride, an ice-skating rink, a sparkling water fountain, and several trains running through the scene. The village has been growing for a long time. A 2013 announcement from NJ Kids described a "small Spring Lake-like village" with trains, a trolley, and an aerial tram.
Admission is free. The money comes from two places: the business fees and an onsite donation box. TAPinto reported that 2024 proceeds went to Common Ground Grief Center in Manasquan, which runs free peer support groups for children, teens, and young adults who have lost a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver.
The charity tie goes back years. The 2013 NJ Kids announcement named Spring Lake Community House and Common Ground Grief Center as beneficiaries, and a 2017 listing named Common Ground as well.
The published numbers show how the money adds up:
| Season | What was reported | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Visitors over the season | More than 5,700 |
| 2023 | Raised for charity | More than $20,000 |
| 2024 | Participating businesses | About 50 |
| 2024 | Raised by participating businesses | More than $6,800 |
| 2024 | Visitors on opening day, Nov. 30 | More than 800 |
TAPinto credits the roughly 50 participating businesses with raising more than $6,800 together in 2024. For 2023, it reports a season total of more than $20,000 and does not break that total down by source. Each figure covers a different year and a different scope, so treat them as separate reported totals. Both still go to the same place.
The display hasn't always been at its current address. The 2013 announcement called it "Clayton's Miniature Village Train Spectacular" and placed it at Clayton Livery. By 2017 it was in the Duggan Memorial Building at 313 Washington Avenue, and it is still there.
That building has a story of its own, and it fits the village well. According to the Preservation Alliance of Spring Lake, the Frederick A. Duggan Memorial First Aid Squad Building went up in 1930 as one of the first facilities of its kind in the country. The Alliance worried that it would eventually be torn down for a larger, modern building that could fit today's much bigger emergency vehicles.
Alliance members spent years researching the building and getting it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They then persuaded the mayor and council to apply for a restoration grant. The New Jersey Historic Trust awarded a total of $572,000. To limit the cost to taxpayers, the Alliance raised nearly all of the required matching funds from private citizens and organizations, and the Monmouth County Historical Commission added a preservation grant.
Preservation architect Robert Cassway worked on the project, and it was finished in 2015. The Tudor Revival building now has an elevator, accessible restrooms, and modern mechanical systems. It serves as a downtown visitors' center, houses the Chamber of Commerce office, and hosts community groups, classes, and Spring Lake Library programs. The Alliance mentions "Clayton's wonderful Christmas Holiday Train Exhibit" by name among the events held there.
The two stories run in parallel. A community effort saved a working building from being replaced. Every winter, another community effort uses that building to show the downtown shops in miniature. Both depend on private local money: matching funds for the building and business fees and donations for the display.
Visit Spring Lake lists the Christmas Train Village opening at noon on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026. It will be open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., free of charge, at the Duggan Building, 313 Washington Avenue. The listing doesn't yet give a closing date or a beneficiary. Recent seasons ran through New Year's Eve. TAPinto reported that the 2024 display stayed open until Dec. 31, and the Monmouth Moms 2025 holiday guide listed a Nov. 29 grand opening from noon to 7 p.m., followed by regular hours from Nov. 30 to Dec. 31. Check with the Duggan Building before planning a late-December visit around those past dates.
The 2026 opening falls on the same Saturday as Small Business Saturday, so it shares a weekend with the rest of the downtown holiday calendar:
| Date | Event | Where | Listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday | Downtown business district, Third Avenue | Visit Spring Lake |
| Sat., Nov. 28, noon | Christmas Train Village opens | Duggan Building, 313 Washington Avenue | Visit Spring Lake |
| Thu., Dec. 3, 5 p.m. | Holiday Soiree, an evening of shopping organized by the Spring Lake BID | Downtown | Visit Spring Lake |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 5 to 6 p.m. | Menorah Lighting | Venue not yet listed | Visit Spring Lake |
The overlap is a nice fit. On opening day, you can see a shop's miniature at Duggan Hall and then walk a few blocks to the real store on Third Avenue.
Young visitors can ask for a scavenger hunt sheet. TAPinto described the 2024 version as a search for hidden details, including:
The same report says many local schools bring students to see the village as part of their holiday celebrations. Opening day draws a crowd. More than 800 visitors came through on the first day in 2024, so a quieter weekday afternoon later in the season gives you more room at the rails. Admission is free. Donations go into an onsite box, so bring cash if you want to give to that season's charity.
Spring Lake's small businesses and the town's historic buildings have long shaped what each property is worth here. If you're thinking about what your own Spring Lake home means in that picture, Chris Pizzola would welcome the conversation this season. Request a private consultation.
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