Palestine – On the eastern side of the great state of Texas, sits an old jail cell, that’s sort of a nexus.
Jeremy Janz is the owner of this old place, and Palestine, Texas is where he calls homebase.
Getting the daily mail or talking to guests, are things Jeremy enjoys but it’s not the best.
He’d much rather dress up for the Christmas Season, and give folks a good laugh for plenty of reasons.
You see, the Grinch is what Jeremy turns into, and his cell house brings in people for his debut.
While Santa is the star of the holiday week, the Grinch does pretty well for not being so meek.
“I have to say, Santa has a pretty hot trend of scaring some kids,” said Jeremy Janz. Back in 2013, Jeremy bought the jettisoned jail that was built back in 1931, Because who doesn’t want to own a nearly century old slammer? “This historic Anderson County Jail became available and I said, hey, why not restore a piece of history and turn it into a creative space?”
While Halloween is a popular time of year at the former prison, the Christmas season has turned into a bigger draw thanks to his holiday presentation of the Grinch’s Lair. “The Grinch character we felt like really had an opportunity to be this great mashup with a historic jail,” said Jeremy.
Jeremy takes on the job of portraying the Grinch every year, a role he takes great pride in. “It’s full prosthetics, so it is all there,” said Jeremy. “This lovely face that you see, it kind of transforms your personality. I’m sure if you had the privilege of transforming yourself, you might find your whole persona changes as well.”
The Grich here isn’t the mean old green guy hoping to steal Christmas, but rather the Grinch who’s heart swells with love for the holiday season. “We just believe that there’s a great potential for sharing the love that was developed for this literary classy character, but with a little twist,” said Jeremy. “There’s the freak out, maybe, perhaps. I don’t know. We do pretty good, but if you do get scared, we have an opportunity to get close, and I might change my tone, lower my voice, and have a moment with them to show them that I’m not scary. In fact, my heart grew, and I’m here to celebrate and share love with you.”
With is trusty Max by his side, the Grich invites you to his lair allows you to tour the old cell block with all sorts of holiday displays including a nice little homage to most kids favorite spot to stop by during Christmas break back in the day, “For all you littles out there that may or may not know about Blockbuster and the magic of VHS,” said Jeremy.
Unlike many holiday events that try to hold a monopoly on memories, Grinch’s Lair encourages visitors to capture as much as they can. “Santa, you’ve marked the corner on selling pictures, man,” said Jeremy. “We actually let you take pictures. Unlike some events where you have to put away your phones, we want you to take out your phone and we want you to get as many memories as possible.”
Getting folks to grin ear to ear is what this grinch is all about. Too see families share a special memory is what makes his heart grow three times over.
“Santa’s great, but it may not be all the gifts that you are asking for,” said Jeremy. “It’s about you enjoying your family, and if Santa can provide some of that magic, Hey, kudos to you, Santa. Keep doing it. If not, sometimes Santa, he does the best he can. Love the fact that you enjoy the holidays with your loved ones, and that’s what we want to spread. Love your family, love your friends, love each one around us. Recognize that even through the hardest times that there is the spirit of giving and sharing joy, and that it’s not about all the money and the gifts. Christmas means sharing the spirit of love.”