'They came to see Santa': Don Royston talks tradition of Santa Train

KINGSPORT — For most of the year, Don Royston can be found working at the Kingsport Homeless Ministry or with other Kingsport nonprofits. But on the weekend before Thanksgiving, Royston is pretty occupied serving as the iconic man in the red suit for the CSX Santa Train. He said he first stepped into the shoes of Saint Nick more than 26 years ago. When he came to Kingsport in 1974, Royston said the Certified Public Accountants, or CPA, firm he worked for encouraged its employees to engage with the community. "I got involved because I could count," he said. "I was the quartermaster for what went off the back of the train, and made and designed charts for years of the number of totes. Because we were throwing candy from Shelbiana, Kentucky, all the way into Kingsport, so we had 110 miles to spread it out." Royston pointed to a computer with a slideshow presentation he prepared showing examples of the charts, as well as other historical photos related to Santa Train. Royston is only the fourth person to take on the role of Santa for the yearly event. He said this year marks his 27th year as Saint Nick. Other Santas have included Joe Higgins, John Dudney and Frank Brogden. "Ultimately, I grew into the boots, and Frank Brogden asked me if I'd like to be Santa-in-training," he said. "And the rest is history." Generations of memories Royston said family and tradition are a central part of the Santa Train experience. He said it's a gathering many communities have looked forward to for several generations. "I think the most important part is the family get-togethers, the tradition," he said. "The literally three and four generations of great grandmama out there bringing the new baby to start the tradition all over again, and everybody's happy." He recalled some of his favorite interactions with children at the Santa Train stops — some of whom he has watched grow up during his time as Santa. "I can remember starting around Dante, [Virginia,] a young man that I hope went to play basketball and track and all that stuff, he would chase the train," Royston said. "He would literally leap over people as they were going down the tracks now. You could see him each year getting a little older. You knew what to look for, but he was there with a smile on his face." With this year marking the 83rd run of the train, Royston said many parts of the train's operation and schedule have been refined over the years to improve the overall experience. "When I first started, Jitney Blankenbeckler was mixing the candy in the car out of boxes going northbound," Royston said. "Then we'd take all the boxes and break them down and stack them on the side in the train. Then we got totes, and it's just been an evolution of things." People have donated handmade toys and gifts in the past as an extra special way to give back to the region. Some made wooden toys, others would crochet or knit outfits for dolls to be given out during the Santa Train trip. Now, he said Santa only throws plush toys off the back of the train — books, backpacks, wrapping paper and other gifts are handed out on the ground by volunteers. Royston said the adrenaline keeps him going throughout the nearly 10-hour excursion. Santa doesn't leave the platform for the whole 110-mile trek, according to Royston. "They didn't come to see a train, they came to see Santa," he said. "So I stay back there, and it's the greatest blessing. I don't know how it could get any better." He talked about past celebrity guests on the train he worked with: Patty Loveless, Wynonna and Naomi Judd, Ricky Skaggs and Marty Stuart, to name a few. While Royston retired in 2018, he said he is still a licensed CPA. He spends his free time with family, including his children who live in the area. At 74 years old, he said he has no plans to give up the title of Santa anytime soon. He joked about "retiring" as Santa whenever Dolly Parton rides the train as a celebrity guest. "The Lord is taking care of me so far, I'm not ready to give it up yet," Royston said. "There'll be a day."