The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
LOOKING FOR HELP
Oneida Christmas collector seeks volunteers to keep his passion alive
ONEIDA, N.Y. >> Mike Lewis, an Oneida man known for his Christmas collection, is asking the community for help with his beloved hobby. Progressing Parkinson’s disease is at the center of his worries: will he be able to continue setting up his displays in libraries across Central New York? What he needs are volunteers.
It’s been 37 years that Lewis has been collecting, having gleaned garage sales, estate sales, antique shops, and more to collect Christmas-related items of all facets. With a lot of work refining his hobby for so long, Lewis has made his collection worthy of public display. In 2010, he reached out to the Oneida Public Library to gauge their interest in his work. They were hooked, and soon he’d make his mark in libraries in Utica, Chittenango, Canastota, Rome, Oneida, and other locations all across upstate.
His Christmas displays have become a recurring tradition, but this year, he fears the tradition has met its end. Lewis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease six years ago. The
Tasks like putting up and decorating trees, assembling showcases, and carrying items in and out of locations are what Lewis needs help with, he said.
disease is now in stage 4. Getting better physically while also honoring his craft is proving to be difficult.
Only recently have symptoms started to get in the way, he admitted. “I’m starting to get more shakey and more having to drop things,” he remarked. Lewis has 52 totes of various Christmas items to maneuver, and the assembly and disassembly of these large displays all across CNY can be a daunting feat.
Though the disease has pushed him to rely on a walker, the 58-year-old is still trying to do what he can to coordinate the effort and get his life’s passion out to the world. If he could find a few honest folks to lend a hand, it’d be a weight off his shoulders.
Tasks like putting up and decorating trees, assembling showcases, and carrying items in and out of locations are what Lewis needs help with, he said. He’ll do all the coordinating with the libraries. He’s also looking for donations to his collection.
Help would be needed generally around the end of October and around New Year’s Eve. That’s typically when displays need to be set up and taken down, he said.
Volunteers need not give a lot of time. Someone to drop him off here, someone to pick him up there—any help would truly be appreciated, he said.
Lewis has already received some help in the past from folks willing to do what they can. He says thank you to all who have given him a hand.
Monetary donations to offset transportation and other costs associated with his displays can also make all the difference and are greatly appreciated. One day, Lewis would like to open a permanent museum showcasing his collection, and maybe charge a small admission fee to keep the doors open. He’d also like to expand his displays into Onondaga County.
Interested volunteers should get in contact with collection partner and friend Matt Maxfield, who will be the benefactor of Lewis’ collection when he passes. Contact Maxfield at maxfieldm3@gmail.com, or at (315) 709-4844 to help Lewis keep his dream a reality.