GARDINER — On the front lawn of the Helen Thompson School, Gavin Clark watched Freeway the reindeer saunter across her portable pen to nose serenely through a bucket of hay.

Gavin, 7, had never seen a reindeer before and didn’t think he’d ever get to see one. He was in awe.

But there was just one little question:

“Aren’t reindeer supposed to fly?” he asked.

It was a potentially sticky question for Ed Papsis, who is not Santa Claus but who owns Freeway. He didn’t even blink.

“Only with Santa’s magic,” Papsis told Gavin and the more than two dozen Helen Thompson School second-graders gathered around Freeway. “I can’t get her to fly. I tried — she won’t fly. But that’s a good thing because I’d need a much taller fence.”

After a dozen years touring the state with Maine’s only reindeer, Papsis knows all of the questions.

“Usually it’s that question followed by, ‘Are you Santa?'” Papsis said later. “Usually I say ‘No, but I know him real well, we’ve met a few times.’ A lot of the kids will answer for me and say, ‘Look at him — he’s Santa’s brother.'”

Papsis and Candis Veilleux own Pony X-Press in Winslow, a state-licensed and USDA-licensed business that runs a petting zoo, educational exhibits and pony rides. They have close to 100 animals, including alligators, alpacas, armadillos, chickens, sheep and a camel.

But between Thanksgiving and Christmas, only one is in big demand.

“This time of year, the reindeer is by far the busiest,” Papsis said.

Papsis and Veilleux got Freeway when she was just a few months old. Her name honors her method of travel.

“She travels on the freeway instead of flying,” Veilleux said.

Because Freeway was alone, they paired her with Baby, a fallow deer who was a year older. The two are best friends and constant companions.

Freeway and Baby travel together in a horse trailer, stopping at schools, festivals, church gatherings and other events throughout the state. They typically make 15 appearances each holiday season.

“Every year, it seems there’s more call for it,” Veilleux said.

The week before Christmas this year, Freeway and Baby stopped in Farmington, Rockport, Scarborough and Norridgewock. And at the Helen Thompson School in Gardiner, where classes of excited children took turns running outside to see the animals and to learn about reindeer.

The highlights: both male and female reindeer can have antlers, reindeer like to swim and reindeer eat grass in the summer and hay in the winter.

“I think they’re really cool and interesting and they’re really, really cute and soft,” said 7-year-old Kassidy Stanley.

Freeway stayed just out of reach of the little hands that poked through her pen, opting to rub her head against Papsis’ leg and check out a dish of deer food rather than be petted. She didn’t care about being in the spotlight.

Baby, raised by humans since birth, enjoyed it.

“She doesn’t know she’s a deer — she thinks she’s one of us,” Papsis told the second-graders as Baby stood by the pen wall and got her head scratched by a cluster of children, her eyes half closed in contentment.

While kids throughout Maine tend to take it for granted that reindeer exist, some adults struggle to believe it — even when Freeway is standing in front of them.

“Adults (say), ‘What is it, really? I know that’s what you call him, but what is it really?'” Papsis said. “You tell them that’s a real, live reindeer and they look at you like you’ve got two heads.”

At 15 years old, Freeway has surpassed the average 10- to 12-year lifespan of reindeer. Papsis and Veilleux said they are trying to get state permission to bring another reindeer into Maine to take up the tour, but they haven’t been successful yet.

“I hate to think the state’s not going to let us bring another one and when Freeway passes, that’s it. There’s no other reindeer for the kids to learn about,” Papsis said.

His favorite part of the seasonal appearances: children’s reactions to Freeway.

“Just the look in their eyes — they’re so excited to see her,” Papsis said.

Have an idea for Animal Tales? Call Lindsay Tice at 689-2854 or email her at ltice@sunjournal.com.

Copy the Story Link