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Date: 12/1/2020
WEST SPRINGFIELD – On Dec. 5, the Storrowton Village Museum is hosting their first ever “Home For the Holidays” workshop. The event will specifically take place in the 1794 Gilbert Farmhouse.
According to the museum, the workshop will be held during two different sessions. The morning session will run from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and the afternoon session will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
According to Jessica Fontaine, the director of Storrowton Village, the museum used to host an event titled “Yuletide at Storrowton,” which usually kicked off with a free weekend festival that was followed by various paid events throughout that specific week. The festival itself would feature various traditional Yuletide activities such as, ice sculpting, 19th century trades, livestock demonstrations, music, and other forms of entertainment.
Because of COVID-19 though, the museum needed to think of something safer for residents across the area.
“We still wanted to do something that gives people the opportunity to have some holiday cheer, and have that same type of Yule-type feel to it,” said Fontaine. “So what we came up with was doing some hands-on workshops.”
These workshops are personalized to fit how people want to decorate, according to Fontaine. Residents can create a holiday wreath to celebrate their love for a “favorite furry family member,” and also design a mason jar mini centerpiece, using all natural items. Hot chocolate will also be provided to-go for those who participate.
“We have lots of options for people,” Fontaine said, with regards to creating wreaths and mason jars. “It will all happen in our 18th century farmhouse with the fireplace going, and the farmhouse will also be decorated in a Victorian style.”
This event also includes a storytelling segment while participants are making their desired décor, according to Fontaine. As residents go through each activity, Fontaine will tell a historical story about how each decoration came about.
“For example, one of the activities is making a wreath,” said Fontaine. “Now, it is a modern 21st century wreath, but I will be sharing some of the history behind wreath and garland decorations, and where that came from.”
While participants are decorating their mason jar candle centerpiece, Fontaine will also be providing an oral history on how people used jars to preserve food for the winter, as well as the evolution of candles, and how they went from being a necessity in people’s lives to now becoming a classic holiday decoration.
Regarding COVID-19, visitors will be asked to be aware of a number of different safety guidelines.
“People do have to wear a mask at all times when they are on the ground, in the building, and all throughout the activities,” said Fontaine. “We have a maximum of ten people per session, so that we can ensure social distancing between people who are not within the same household.”
According to Fontaine, Storrowton has enough space within the farmhouse to spread ten people out. And if there is a family of two or three people, then they will be allowed to participate in the activities together. As long as they are six feet away from the rest of the group in that specific session.
Admission to the workshop is $45 per person, which includes the cost of materials and instruction. Tickets must be purchased in advance on the museum’s website, which can be found here: https://www.storrowtonvillage.com/events/2020/home-for-the-holidays. The event itself is recommended by Storrowton for ages 12 and up, but no crafting experience is required.
“We invite people in to have a good time with their family,” said Fontaine. “That’s a part of our mission, is to provide family entertainment and knowledge of New England heritage, so it [the event] really ties those things together…We just wanted to find a way that we can give people something that they can take back to their families.”