It’s a scene from “Gulliver’s Travels” with an Iowa holiday twist — a shrunken village opens to the public today for its tenth season. Called “The Christmas Stroll,” the unusual world created by an elderly couple near the Hamilton County town of Stanhope is an intricately-detailed tiny town.Fern Carlson & her husband Varlen run the 1900s-era scale-model village and welcome visitors from all over the region to see the big dollhouses in the 15-building miniature city.The village began with one house that was a playhouse for the Carlson’s grandchildren — and continued to grow. Carlson says she feels a bit like a giant when walking through the village, which is populated by more than 100 mannequins all dressed in period winter clothing from a century ago.The village is now open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through January first. For more information, call (515) 826-4-FUN or surf to: www.countryrelicsvillage.comThe Iowa basketball team returns to action tomorrow by visiting Creighton. Iowa coach Steve Alford says Creighton is an experienced team.Alford says this will have a big game atmosphere.Alford says playing Missouri Valley teams on the road is a difficult challenge.
