It takes a dedicated Bountiful hobbyist to build a village

BOUNTIFUL — Art Lifferth, 87 years young, is still playing with toys. In his spacious garage he makes toy wooden cars for the needy. He has also created a fanciful, miniature toy village that is unlike anything his neighbors have ever seen. On hospice care for the past three years, Lifferth is optimistic and positive and he credits his hobbies for beating the odds.

"If you have something to do, you can last longer," he quipped, adding that most people on hospice live only months, not years.

Walking into his 1,650 square-foot garage, you would probably expect to see a toy village dwarfed by the large space. However, his creation — "Paradise Village" — is huge, taking up almost half of the garage.

With at least 110 miniature houses, it spans one's imagination. There's a Jerusalem area with a baby Jesus, a three-ring circus, a ski hill, a harbor and pirate ship, a train and bus station, a hospital, several housing areas, a park, a speedway full of antique cars and a Santa village.

The village is about 20 feet wide and 30 feet deep and represents almost a decade of work.

It features the Salt Lake Temple on a hill. There's also Elvis Presley's Graceland home, the Statue of Liberty, a wedding party, a replica of a Bamberger railroad car, bridges and more than 75 automobiles.

Three train sets travel through or above the extensive creation. Wallpaper depicting the Swiss Alps and an original painting of a winter scene in Inkom, Idaho, provide the village's backdrop.

There's also a thousand-plus miniature light set in the ceiling, along with a DC-3 airplane.

Lifferth's former hobby was restoring old cars. His garage also holds a 1955 T-Bird and 1937 Cord convertible and two other vintage cars. He also built his own motor home, from the chassis up, extensive work that required 13 years.

However, about a decade ago — in his late 70s — Lifferth said the physical work for that hobby was too demanding, after several heart attacks and bypass surgery. So, he sought another passion.

His wife of more than 58 years, Okla, who died in 2007, wouldn't let him put such a village in one of their bay windows. But the garage, nicknamed "Art's Shop," was his domain. He sold a car he was working on, moved his motor home outside and began his new hobby. A new wall erected in the garage helped keep the dust down.

And when the village took on its current gigantic proportions, he said even his wife had to admit it was a great creation.

Just keeping it dusted is the biggest challenge he has these days. He doubts he'll expand the village further.

He shows off his creation to Scout groups, neighbor kids and anyone who wants to see it.