Yuletide at Storrowton: Winter Festival at
Storrowton Village in West Springfield
December 1st & 2nd, 2012

Eastern States Exposition’s Storrowton Village Museum will present “Yuletide at Storrowton,” Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1st & 2nd from 11am-4pm. This free winter holiday festival is a chance for the community to come together to enjoy Yuletide activities and celebrations for the entire family as well as musical presentations and entertainment, all in the historic Village in West Springfield, MA. (Courtesy Photo)

Storrowton Village, the Eastern States Exposition’s historic 18th and 19th century New England village in West Springfield, is getting ready for the holidays – and for families to visit in December!

The weekend of Dec. 1st & 2nd during “Yuletide at Storrowton,” the village will be open for visitors to enjoy holiday activities, tour the beautifully decorated grounds, and celebrate Yuletide – and the special Winter Festival brings even more excitement to Storrowton!

Holiday displays made with all-natural materials have been created throughout the village by community organizations and local businesses – every fence, window, and porch throughout the village is covered in festive garland, wreaths, and sprays. During the festival, tours of the village will be available, and families can take part in a host of activities. A Victorian Santa will be on hand for visiting, sculptors will create beautiful ice-art pieces, live holiday music will be performed throughout the village, and more!

Along with providing a unique way to kick off your family’s holiday celebrations, a visit to the village can help to supplement students’ studies of early American history and culture, a topic often covered around Thanksgiving. Students who have learned about the ways of life of New England settlers can experience a firsthand reenactment of what an 1800’s New England village may have looked like and learn about the many different parts of a community of settlers. “Yuletide at Storrowton,” will take place from 11am to 4pm and is a free holiday festival.

Blacksmithing, fireplace cooking, quilting and spinning demonstrations happen throughout the village. (Courtsey photo)

Yuletide features throughout the Village include:

• Ice Sculpting Demonstrations
• Celtic Harp performance
• 19th Century Crafts: Broom making, Tinsmith, Hatter, Windsor chair maker
• Hands-on Children’s Crafts
• Blacksmithing, fireplace cooking, quilting and spinning demonstrations
• Petting Zoo/Farm Animals on the Village Green
• Visit with a Victorian Santa
• Caroling and tree lighting ceremony (Daily at 4pm)

Performances in the Village’s Meetinghouse include:

• Sat, 12noon – Richard Smith as Henry David Thoreau from the essay “Walking”
• Sat., 1pm – “Music from the American Traditions of the 19th Century,” Richard Spencer
• Sat., 2pm – “Belsnickle, Santa’s Other Darker Side,” Dennis Picard, director of Storrowton Village Museum
• Sat., 3pm – Pioneer Valley Fiddlers
• Sun., 12noon – “From Sackbut to Jazz Tones,” a brief look at the evolution of the trombone and its uses in popular music with George Garber
• Sun., 1pm – “Songs from a New England Farmstead & Fireside,” with April Gran
• Sun., 2pm – “Seasonal Songs with a Winter’s Theme,” with Paul Kaplan
• Sun., 3pm – “Belsnickle, Santa’s Other Darker Side,” Dennis Picard, director of Storrowton Village Museum

All activities are weather permitting. For more information, call 413-205-5051 or 413-205-5115, or visit www.TheBigE.com/Yuletide