If you have driven down Santa Fe Drive in Littleton in December, you have seen him. Santa Kong is the 25-foot Santa standing on the roof of St. Nick’s Christmas and Collectibles, arms up, candy cane in hand. He goes up every year at the start of the season, and for more than 25 years, a Bill Boom crane has been the one lifting him. This week we set him again.
What Santa Kong is
St. Nick’s has been a Christmas destination at 5221 South Santa Fe Drive since 1976. Santa Kong came along later: the store’s co-owner drew up the plans in 1994, and a builder in El Paso, Texas built him. He stands 25 feet tall and weighs about 1,500 pounds. The rest of the year he comes down and waits. Every holiday season he goes back up on the roof where Santa Fe Drive traffic can see him.
How the lift goes
Santa Kong is not a heavy lift by crane standards. What makes it a careful one is the shape. A 25-foot figure with its arms in the air catches wind, wants to swing, and has to land on a mounting frame on the roof peak without scraping the shingles or the garland. Here is how we do it:
- Set up in the parking lot. The boom truck parks in front of the store, outriggers down, with enough boom to reach up and over the gable.
- Rig the figure at its lifting points. A two-leg bridle keeps him upright and balanced on the hook so he comes up standing, not spinning.
- Lift, swing, and hold. The operator brings him up over the roof line and holds him steady above the frame while the crew on the roof lines him up.
- Land him and pin him down. Once he is on the frame and bolted, the rigging comes off and the boom comes back down.
Start to finish it is a morning’s work, and the parking lot is open for customers by the time the store gets busy.
Why we keep doing it
Most of what we lift is HVAC units, steel, trusses, and signs. Santa Kong is the one job that people stop and watch. Kids point. Cars slow down on Santa Fe. The St. Nick’s crew comes out to see him go up. We have been setting him for over 25 years, and it is one of the days every year that the crew looks forward to. We are proud to be part of a tradition that belongs to the store and to the whole south metro.
Rooftop signs, decorations, and figures
If you have a sign, a figure, or a holiday display that needs to go onto a roof or a pole, the lift works the same way: rig it so it hangs the way it needs to land, bring it up over the edge, and hold it steady while it is fastened. Boom trucks are the right tool for most of these because they set up fast in a parking lot and reach over a storefront without a lane closure. Tell us the weight, the height, and the address when you call.
How to book a crane for a rooftop lift
Call (303) 761-2666. There is no call center. The person who picks up knows the trucks. Every lift is quoted on the phone. Bill Boom has been lifting in the Denver metro since 1965, out of our yard in Englewood, and we cover Littleton, Denver, and the rest of the Front Range.
Frequently asked questions
Who puts Santa Kong on the roof at St. Nick’s?
A Bill Boom boom truck crane lifts him each holiday season. The store’s crew handles the mounting frame on the roof, and the crane holds the figure in place while it is bolted down.
Can a crane set a sign or display on a store roof without closing the street?
Usually, yes. A boom truck sets up in the parking lot or a loading area and reaches over the storefront, so most rooftop sign and display lifts need no lane closure.
How much does it cost to have a crane lift a rooftop sign or figure?
Every lift is quoted on the phone. The weight, the height, and the address are what we need to give you a number.
