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FAIRFIELD – The former Lincoln Elementary School has life again.

After sitting mostly empty for the past decade, the former school, now called the Lincoln Center, was a den of activity Friday and Saturday night as it hosted the first weekend of JC Huffman’s “Ho Ho Ho Holiday Event.”

Jim and Teresa Huffman bought the building from the school district this past summer, and spent the last five months renovating it to be ready in time for its annual Christmas celebration, which starts the Friday after Thanksgiving and is held every Friday and Saturday until Christmas. The event featured a photo op with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Kids receive a printed photo, which they can put into a custom JC Huffman ornament. One room in the school was set aside for Whoville, including the Grinch himself. New this year was a Harry Potty-themed room with “butterbeer” and magic potion.

Teresa said she was pleased with the turnout for the first weekend, and received a lot of compliments on the building and how wonderful it looked.

“People felt more spread out instead of standing shoulder to shoulder,” she said. “People were congregating in the gym area, sitting and talking. It felt more like we were bringing people together versus let’s move you through a loop and out the door.”

Teresa said she and her family have poured hours upon hours of work into the building since taking possession of it on June 30. They spent a month cleaning out the building, throwing away old desks, chairs, cafeteria items, wrestling mats and high jump mats, and everything else the school district left behind. Once that was done, they replaced the HVAC and water systems. Teresa said the old boiler system was not drained properly and this caused all the pipes to freeze and break throughout the building, so those had to be replaced.

Another big project was removing the radiators from the classrooms, which left a big hole behind that a mason had to seal. There are now eight large furnaces and central air units, with zoned heating and cooling.

The Union asked Teresa how long it would take the Huffmans to recoup the investment they’ve made in the building, and Teresa estimated five to seven years.

The Huffmans moved their Whoville set and decorations that they built last year, and added to their collection this year by building sets for the Goblin and Magic Potion sections of the Harry Potter room.

“We are big Harry Potter fans, and there are a lot of them out there, and we thought that’d be a perfect match,” Teresa said.

One of the rooms in the school has been set aside for a fundraiser being organized by Pekin student Hailey Pedrick. Pedrick is raising money for the Governor’s Charity Steer Show with a silent auction on decorated Christmas trees. Funds will go to the Ronald McDonald House.

“We like to donate each year to a different charity, and Hailey came to me to tell me what she was doing, and wanted to be a part of what we’re doing,” Teresa said. “I thought it was a great fit, and we really hope she does well.”

JC Huffman makes a custom ornament each year, and this year’s ornament is a mitten. The ornament has a hole cut out where the printed photo goes that kids get in that very same room with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Children can then add decorations to their ornament with things like cotton balls. Also in that room is a huge selection of goods from Mrs. Claus’ Bakery.

Teresa said she and her family are focused on making this Christmas event the best it can be, but she’s also excited for what the future holds at the Lincoln Center. The Huffmans are planning to host an Easter event like they’ve done the last few years. Teresa said she’d also like to host small weddings, reunions, graduation and birthday parties there, too. In about a year from now, she’d also like to turn part of the building into a steakhouse.

The Ho Ho Ho Holiday Event will continue every Friday and Saturday now through Christmas, from 5:30-8 p.m. Admission is $15. Residents are encouraged to take advantage of the bus shuttle service that will be running during the event between the Lincoln Center and the parking lot at the corner of Lowe and Fourth.