Santa's Land of Putney Vermont

Jack Poppele's life was long intertwined with Christmas. In 1922, Poppele began broadcasting from a homemade station in Newark, known as WOR. It was one of the nation’s first radio stations and operating it alone, Poppele became known as the “one-man radio station.” Broadcasting on Christmas Day in 1922, Poppele became the first person to broadcast on Christmas Day. After his career in radio, Jack Poppele went on to open Santa's Land, a popular roadside attraction on Vermont's historic Route 5.The Christmas themed "storyland" like park, was a gift shop complete with toys, ornaments and Santa figures year round. Opened in 1957 and it ran for over 50 years. Sadly, Santa's Land closed it doors for good on December 18th, 2011. It is unclear if the Ding Dong School House, Santa's Land Arcade, the Candy Can Cupboard, or the Igloo Pancake house - a giant foam igloo - will reopen anytime soon.

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