Yuletide cheer to engulf Storrowton Village Museum

Date: 11/25/2008

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WEST SPRINGFIELD After the Thanksgiving meal is devoured and all the dishes are washed and put away, the holiday frenzy will begin: decorations, baking, holiday cards, shopping, travel plans, guest lists . but where does one begin?

Storrowton Village Museum will open its doors once again this year to help those in the Valley jumpstart their holiday season with music, decoration ideas, entertainment and shopping at the annual Yuletide celebration on Dec. 6 and 7.

"It's a nice way to kickoff the winter season," Dennis Picard, director of Storrowton Village Museum, said in an interview with Reminder Publications. "It's a nice tradition where people can see that there are things going on even during the dark time of year."

This free holiday festival will include a variety of lectures and performances throughout the weekend surrounded by elaborate decorations provided by area garden clubs.

Thelma Greene, chair of the Yuletide Decorating Committee, explained that local garden clubs and florists use natural, dried ingredients to create decorations for the village buildings.

"The unique thing that I can say is that we have a lot of repeat decorators and they come out with different ideas, which amazes me," she said.

Picard agreed. "I look at [the decorations] and they're using the same pallet but how they shuffle those things, it's amazing and different every year," he said.

Costumed volunteers will provide tours for those at the festival, which will also include live performances in the meetinghouse. April Grant will tell holiday stories and songs at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday's performances will include the Alice Moore Golden Bell Ringers at 1 p.m., Paul Kaplan's seasonal songs with a winter theme at 2 p.m. and Barbara Bennet will have an organ recital at 3 p.m.

Other activities at the festival will include demonstrations by blacksmiths, quilters, ice sculptors and cooking over the open hearth.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to visit with a Victorian Santa and participate in caroling and daily tree lightings at 4 p.m.

Tours of Storrowton Village will also take place during Yuletide week from Dec. 8 to 13 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $5 per person and children under six are free. The Lantern Light Tours will take place on Dec. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m.

For a complete list of Yuletide events at Storrowton Village Museum, visit www.thebige.com/yuletide or call 205-5051.