Today let\u2019s take a brief, blessed excursion to a less stressed, more festive yesteryear when the chaos and clamor of daily life could be merrily sidetracked by a few moments spent riding the rails of tradition.<\/p>\n
Our conductor is Scranton attorney Chris Munley, standing in for the late, great Don Clark, whose \u201cMiniature Memories\u201d toy train display is back on its tracks after a nine-year derailment. The sprawling, detail-rich cityscape debuted at the Woolworth\u2019s at Keyser Oak Shopping Center in 1977 and became a beloved local treasure with whistle stops at a Gertrude Hawk outlet and the Marketplace at Steamtown.<\/p>\n
![\"Scranton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/STT-L-KELLY-WBOX-1207-01.jpg\")
Scranton attorney Chris Munley poses with a portrait of the late Don Clark, creator of the beloved \u201cMiniature Memories\u201d toy train display. Munley bought the long-shuttered collection, which is now on display at the Everhart Museum. (CHRIS KELLY \/ STAFF PHOTO)<\/p>\n
This holiday season, \u201cScranton to Scale: Don Clark\u2019s Miniature Memories\u201d is the hot ticket at the Everhart Museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the first time I saw it,\u201d Chris said as he and Everhart CEO Tim Holmes gave me a guided tour early Thursday. \u201cI was in Gertrude Hawk\u2019s and I was an adult, not a kid. I was there getting Easter candy, and I remember wandering in there and I felt like one of those kids on the tour at Willy Wonka\u2019s Chocolate Factory when they walked into that amazingly bright, sunlit room with all these beautiful colors\u2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just fascinated me. I fell in love with it and I went to visit it a lot, not for any other reason than it was a way to lose yourself in something for a few minutes. When it was at the mall, I used to take breaks from work, just wander down and go in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don Clark, the master architect, builder and engineer of \u201cMiniature Memories,\u201d was 77 when he died in 2010. His daughter, Kathy Clark-Shock, and her husband, Joe Shock, worked hard to keep Clark\u2019s legacy rolling, but 2016 saw its last public run. Mall management evicted the exhibit two years later. With no destination for a new home, the local treasure was buried in boxes.<\/p>\n
Chris Munley bought the display from the Shocks with the hope of finding it a new space for public enjoyment. His first choice \u2014Steamtown National Historic Site \u2014 seemed like a seamless fit.<\/p>\n
![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/STT-L-KELLY-XXXX-01.jpg\")
Chris Kelly (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe superintendent at the time said to me, \u2018We\u2019d be happy to take it, but you have to donate it to us,\u2019\u2009\u201d Chris said. \u201cThat was not a problem, but in the conversation, it became clear that there were no guarantees that this wouldn\u2019t be boxed up and put into government storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
So he stored it in his attic. Last Christmas, Chris set up some of the display in his home. Guests were just as fascinated as he was. At an event celebrating the Scranton-set global sensation \u201cThe Office,\u201d Chris broached the idea of bringing \u201cMiniature Memories\u201d to the Everhart. Museum Curator James Lansing replied, \u201cWhen can you have it here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Word of the return of \u201cMiniature Memories\u201d in time for the holidays sparked immediate buzz, Tim Holmes said. Response to the museum\u2019s Facebook post announcing the exhibit was overwhelming.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never had this kind of reply to a Facebook post,\u201d Tim said. \u201cWe had 900-plus likes, over 200 shares and 114 comments. It\u2019s wild how much local interest it\u2019s generating, along with the international interest \u2018The Office\u2019 exhibit is generating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim walked me through it, too. It\u2019s as impressive, inventive and authoritative as any exhibit you\u2019ll find in New York or any other major city. In recent weeks, Tim said \u201cThe Office\u201d attraction has drawn global visitors from France, Malta, Brazil and Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all felt this draw to Scranton,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re coming to get a piece of Scranton, and the cool thing is the timing with the \u2018Miniature Memories\u2019 exhibit. What piece of Scranton is better than this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPieces\u201d fits better. Clark\u2019s expertly scaled and detailed models of local landmarks like the Lackawanna County Courthouse, the Scranton Cultural Center, the Glider Diner, Nay Aug Park and the Everhart itself are uncannily realistic and all hand-made. Clark never charged admission, but accepted donations he passed on to St. Joseph\u2019s Center and the holiday bureau, which helps the less fortunate during the Christmas season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really want all of this to be about Don Clark,\u201d Chris said. \u201cI want it to be about him because he was a genius and an understated genius. He was a very simple man, a bus driver, but this man, if he had plied his talents commercially, he would have been a tremendously successful artist. Imagine what he could have done in Hollywood.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon Clark may not have been a household name, but in the lives of literally thousands of people, this man created a Scranton land-of-make-believe that people could get lost in for a few minutes. It\u2019s nice to have that back.\u201d<\/p>\n
All aboard!<\/p>\n
CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, hopes you enjoyed this brief excursion away from clamor and chaos. Contact the writer: ckelly@scrantontimes.com; @cjkink on X; Chris Kelly, The Times-Tribune on Facebook; and @chriskellyink on Blue Sky Social.<\/p>\n
IF YOU GO<\/p>\n
What: \u201cScranton to Scale: Don Clark\u2019s Miniature Memories\u201d<\/p>\n
When: Dec. 3\u2013March 2026<\/p>\n
Museum hours: Wednesday to Sunday 11 a.m.\u20135 p.m.\u00a0Closed Monday and Tuesday<\/p>\n
Museum admission: adults, $10; seniors (60+) and students, $5; children 12 and under, free;\u00a0Everhart, NARM and ROAM members, free;\u00a0SNAP, WIC and EBT recipients, free; active and retired military and family, free.<\/p>\n