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Date: 11/20/2023
BELCHERTOWN — On Saturday, Nov. 25, the Belchertown Cultural Council will host the sixth annual Winter Light Night event.
There will be over 20 local vendors taking part in the artisan fair as part of Small Business Saturday where you can stop by the Old Town Hall, 28 Park St., from 12 to 6 p.m. to shop locally with talented handmade businesses.
A few hours later there will be free activities for residents to enjoy from 3 to 6 p.m. on the Town Common.
Trista Hevey is a member of the BCC and co-lead on the Winter Light Night event and discussed all the different activities planned for Winter Night Light.
The activities include a gingerbread house contest, hands-on art activities, a s’mores station, hot chocolate, carriage rides, maple cotton candy.
For the first time this year, there will be an ornament decoration station where all the finished products will be donated to Christopher Heights of Belchertown.
“Most of the area churches will also have different activities that you can pop into, do a craft, enjoy some hot chocolate or different food and treats. Clay Mates, which is a local artisan center in Belchertown, they are hosting a snowflake ornament decorating experience and will be happening again this year,” Hevey added.
There will also be a toy drive run by the Police Department and a visit from Frosty the Snowman.
The official lighting of the Town Common and Christmas tree will take place at 5:30 p.m. with different organizations and school bands performing different musical pieces before.
Hevey said, “That will be the first time we turn the lights on the common for the holiday season. What I think really drives us is the lighting of the Town Common. The tree that is in the center of our town has a lot of history.”
The tree that gets decorated and lit up during the ceremony is called the “memory tree.”
“It looks like a traditional Christmas tree but was donated by a local family several years ago. The Belchertown Fair uses it as a memory tree and is adorned with pictures or notes of their loved ones. We really translated that and one of the visions for the event was to think about our community and think about those who are here and maybe those are not and being able to light up the common in their honor.” Hevey said.
She added, “The tree represents a lot to the community throughout the years. We had it lit during the pandemic, through hard times we had it turned and when we count down and light up the tree and common it kind of signifies not only the start of the holiday season but the start of the community coming together.”
All the activities are free due to donations, funds from the BCC, and other grants the council has received.
Hevey added, “The one thing that I think we are really proud of as the Cultural Council is we are offering everything free to the community so you can take advantage of the carriage rides, the s’mores stations and the hot chocolate and it doesn’t cost our community anything. Besides paying for gifts at the artisan fair, everything else is fundraised or certain funds that the cultural council has allotted.”
For more information about the event, visit the Belchertown Cultural Council Facebook page and look under events to find the artisan fair and Winter Night Light.
“The event each year has great energy, people really enjoy it and we enjoy hosting it so we are happy to continue the tradition.” Hevey said.