Old ballot box starts new tradition in Ida

IDA — Two area women worked together to bring a brand-new tradition to Ida: a Santa mailbox.

Today, the ballot-box-turned-mailbox will debut in front of the Ida Township Fire Station, 3016 Lewis Avenue. Children of all ages can drop off letters until Dec. 15. Letters should include a legible return address.

“Expect a special return letter in gold ink from Santa and an airmail stamp from the North Pole,” Dale Zorn, executive director of Christmas in Ida, said.

The mailbox project began this fall, when Cindy Bolley got a retired ballot box from the Ida Township Board.

“I was able to get on the Ida Township’s monthly meeting agenda to ask permission to have this mailbox put on township property,” Bolley said. “They all thought it was a great idea and decided that it should be placed by the Ida Fire Station.”

Then, Bolley contacted her painter friend Karen Lewis, owner of Petersburg’s Lollygag'n Louie's.

“I actually met Cindy through the Ida Community Day craft show a couple of years ago. She gave me free rein on the finished design,” Lewis said.

Lewis wanted something recognizable, but also something to honor Ida and Ida Public Schools, where her grandchildren go to school.

“My first thoughts were to make sure that the children would recognize that it was for Santa. So, of course, red was the color of choice," Lewis said. "I initially decided to paint a Santa suit on the front, complete with big wide belt. However, as it progressed, I felt that a tribute to Ida Schools was in order. And what better way to indicate Santa than a naughty/nice scroll on the front? Then I decided to use Christmas stenciling and hand-drawn sections to finish the Christmas look. Once I decided on design placement, I let the ideas flow.”

Lewis worked on the mailbox on and off for several weeks. She used some special paints from her store, including Chalk Mineral Paint and Slick Stick, which works well on metal.

“The box itself presented its own challenges, as the metal itself was so cold,” Lewis said.

Lewis expects the mailbox to weather the elements well.

“The lettering was done in vinyl, and I used vinyl on the outside of my store windows that has been there since May 2021. The final steps included several coats of our Satin Topcoat and then Gator Hide, which is a tougher topcoat. Anything in weather will eventually have issues; however, my understanding is that it will have a limited run on the outside, since Santa has to get those letters before his Christmas Eve trip," she said.

Lewis has been interested in painting since the 1970s and has worked on wood and canvas.

“I took toll painting classes in North Carolina. That eventually translated into multiple DIY efforts as I learned how to do mosaic and ceramic tiling, macramé, and eventually I decided that I loved to refinish furniture. My husband and I have actually remodeled/updated at least eight different houses,” Lewis said.

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She enjoyed the mailbox project.

“Painting the Santa mailbox gave me a tremendous amount of joy," Lewis said. "I love doing the fun things, and this was a work of love to be able to do something for the children and also for the community. Since Cindy posted pictures, I have had a number of folks from other communities commenting that they would love to have one in their community. That made my heart swell.”

For more information on Dec. 1-2’s Christmas in Ida, visit christmasinida.com.

— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Old ballot box starts new tradition in Ida