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21-666: The Nut Tree Railroad was started in 1953 to serve the customers of Vacaville's Nut Tree Restaurant. Two years later its tracks were extended to the Nut Tree Airport to shuttle pilots to and from the restaurant. The railroad's main station was the Nut Tree Toy Shop where riders would purchase their tickets. Famous riders of the Nut Tree train included Ronald Reagan , Shirley Temple , Fred MacMurray , California governor Pat Brown , champion boxer Max Baer , Bozo

42-455: A 2-acre amusement park, and a 3.4-acre event center." Nut Tree reopened in 2006 as a mixed-use development of Snell & Company. It contains Nut Tree Family Park (children's amusement park), Nut Tree Bocce Grove ( bocce ball venue), Nut Tree Village (restaurants and stores) and Nut Tree Complex (retail, hotel, offices, residences). Retailers operating at opening were Best Buy , Sport Chalet and BevMo! . The restored Harbison House (which

63-586: A luncheon hosted by (California) Governor George Deukmejian for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the State capitol. Beginning in 1980, Nut Tree was home to a month-long October harvest event called 'Pumpkin Patch'. Pumpkin Patch attractions included a great scarecrow contest, a giant pumpkin display and weigh-in, and pumpkin carving contests. The Nut Tree Restaurant was an early pioneer of California cuisine , with fresh fruits and vegetables featured in

84-405: Is a decoy or mannequin that is often in the shape of a human . Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. Scarecrows are used around the world by farmers , and are a notable symbol of farms and the countryside in popular culture. The common form of a scarecrow

105-513: Is a humanoid figure dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. Machinery such as windmills have been employed as scarecrows, but the effectiveness lessens as animals become familiar with the structures. Since the invention of the humanoid scarecrow, more effective methods have been developed. On California farmland, highly-reflective aluminized PET film ribbons are tied to

126-640: The Clown , and Julia Child . Following the 1955 expansion of the Nut Tree Railroad to the Nut Tree Airport, the route at the original Nut Tree included a tunnel and a bridge. When the Nut Tree closed in 1996, the train was driven into the railroad's tunnel and sealed in. During those years the train, Engine Number 5, was purchased by the City of Vacaville to ensure its preservation while many of

147-594: The Nut Tree Railroad, adding a carousel and children's park to the Nut Tree Plaza that August. As of 2021, the Nut Tree Train is back and sporting an environmentally friendly "green" bio-diesel engine. 38°22′13″N 121°57′44″W  /  38.37031°N 121.96213°W  / 38.37031; -121.96213 Nut Tree Nut Tree is a lifestyle center in Vacaville, California near

168-571: The Nut Tree had open for public tours during its final years of operation) is a major centerpiece of the development. It opened in October 2009. Between the time that the Nut Tree closed and its building was demolished, the Northern California Renaissance Fair was held on its grounds for several years running. The Nut Tree Family Park closed on January 14, 2009, due to the lack of attendance. On August 22, 2009,

189-566: The Nut Tree restaurant migrated to the Coffee Tree. The Coffee Tree building was demolished in 2005. The Nut Tree ceased operations in 1996 due to financial issues brought about by a family feud that was taken to court. The main Nut Tree buildings were demolished in the fall of 2003. The Coffee Tree restaurant across the I-80 freeway, another part of the original Nut Tree holdings, was demolished in late 2005. The old original Harbison house

210-604: The Nut Tree was named grew from a black walnut that pioneer Sallie Fox had picked up along a trail in Arizona before arriving in Vacaville in 1859. By its second year, it was serving a average an average of 950 cars per day. The Nut Tree grew as US 40 became Interstate 80 . At its peak, it contained a restaurant, an outdoor eatery, a bakery, a gift shop, a toy shop , the Nut Tree Railroad that gave rides from

231-581: The Nut Tree's furniture. A 1957 trip to Denmark gave Ed Power and Don Birell the idea of designing the Nut Tree's patio area to resemble the Tivoli Gardens with special lighting and kiosks. The Coffee Tree was a coffee shop and restaurant that was a subsidiary of the Nut Tree. The Coffee Tree opened in 1965 across Interstate 80 from the Nut Tree restaurant. The Coffee Tree building was designed by architects Dreyfuss and Blackford in 1965. The Coffee Tree building with its distinctive curved roof line

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252-532: The gift shop. A recipe book called Nut Tree Remembered - The Cookbook was printed by the Vacaville Museum in 1997. It contains 40 recipes, and more than 100 photos and graphics from the restaurant and retail stores that closed in 1996. As of September, 2015, they still accept phone orders for the remaining copies. Don Birrell served as the design director for the Nut Tree from 1953 until his retirement in 1990. Ed Power hired Charles Eames to design

273-452: The grand opening celebration was held for the reopening of the Nut Tree, under the new ownership of Westrust . The new Nut Tree adopted some of the original attractions, such as the Nut Tree Railroad and other historical elements of the original Nut Tree, along with new elements such as a carousel. 38°22′12″N 121°57′41″W  /  38.36994°N 121.96135°W  / 38.36994; -121.96135 Scarecrow A scarecrow

294-508: The intersection of Interstate 80 and Interstate 505 . The original Nut Tree opened on July 3, 1921 on the Lincoln Highway (old U.S. Route 40 ). It was created by Helen and Ed "Bunny" Power as a small roadside fruit stand, and built near the site of Helen's childhood home (' Harbison House ' dating from 1907), which she and her husband purchased from her parents not long after their 1920 marriage. The black walnut tree after which

315-550: The other buildings did not survive. As developer after developer tried to purchase the Nut Tree property from Vacaville, each one was told it could have the land as long as the Nut Tree Railroad was reopened. Finally in 2006, developer Snell & Co. reopened the railroad in the Nut Tree Family Park. In January 2009, the Family Park closed again. In July 2009, developer Westrust bought the property and reopened

336-399: The recipes. By 1978, it was identified as "the region's most characteristic and influential restaurant." It also featured small loaves of wheat and rye bread, cooked fresh each day on the premises. A notable feature of the restaurant was its large indoor aviary, which had glass walls extending from floor to ceiling. Nut Tree knives and cutting boards, as well as books on aviation, were sold in

357-688: The toy shop to the airport, and the Nut Tree Airport , which is now owned and operated by Solano County . It was a welcome rest stop on the road between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout the year, kids enjoyed giant frosted honey cookies (personalized on request), the numerous "Hobby Horses" rocking horses and riding the train. It welcomed several celebrities, including Ronald Reagan when he became California governor in 1967, Richard Nixon , Danny Kaye , Shirley Temple Black , Chuck Yeager , Peter Marino, and Bing Crosby , among others. On March 4, 1983, Nut Tree catered

378-667: Was donated to the Vacaville Museum in 1998 and is being restored in a new location 1000 feet from the original site. In 2002, Snell & Company began the redevelopment project. In 2004, the Vacaville City Council approved the Nut Tree Master Plan with retail, restaurants, offices, housing and an amusement park. In 2006, Nut Tree Plaza opened. In 2009, Snell sold to Westrust, later called Capretta Properties. In April 2022, Nut Tree Plaza

399-442: Was featured in the October 1966 issue of Architectural Record and received an AIA Central Valley Merit Award in 1967. The interior of the Coffee Tree was largely designed by Don Birrell , the design director of the Nut Tree, along with the Coffee Tree's logo and menu designs. The Coffee Tree displayed artwork from artists such as Ruth Dicker , whose work was sometimes featured in the Coffee Tree menus as well. The Coffee Tree

420-447: Was known for several of its signature items, such as a large elongated hamburger known as the "Buddy Burger" and an "Ice Cream Clown" (a scoop of ice cream with an ice cream cone for hat and a candy clown face). The gift shop sold Nut Tree frosted gingerbread cookies featuring designs by Don Birrell . It also sold glass jars of colored sugar crystals in an assortment of colors. When the Nut Tree restaurant closed in 1996, many employees of

441-527: Was sold to Tower Investments. As of 22 April 2022, the Nut Tree Master Plan's 216 apartment-unit land reportedly was sold to a developer,and the 176,000 square-foot business park land is for sale. "The Nut Tree is a 71-acre $ 255 million Master Planned Development being developed by Nut Tree Holdings, LLC, a joint venture of Capretta Properties Inc. and Reaal Ventures Inc. At completion, the Nut Tree Master Plan will include 399,000 square feet of retail space, 140,000 square feet of office space, 216 apartment units,

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