The free winter holiday festival will feature a variety of yuletide activities, historical presentations, music, entertainment and shopping opportunities in several Storrowton shops
Storrowton at Christmastime
Those yearning for the simpler days of Christmas can hark back in time for a look at the holidays as they might have been celebrated back in early New England when Storrowton Village Museum holds its annual “Yuletide at Storrowton” on Saturday and Sunday.
vlocated in the historic village on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield.
“People come back year after year to our yuletide celebration and it definitely has become a tradition for so many people. Many socialize with friends here that they may see only once a year, and they share in the experience of being in our 19th century historic buildings decked out naturally for the holidays,” said Dennis Picard, director, Storrowton Village Museum.
Picard noted that the buildings are decorated through the generosity of area garden clubs, florists and designers who devote their time and talents into creating a picturesque village adorned with wreaths, swags, garlands, fresh evergreens and all natural material. The Master Gardeners of Storrowton coordinate the entire decorating project overseen by Yuletide coordinator Thelma Greene.
“During our yuletide celebration many visitors aren’t as concerned about the history behind our buildings as much as they are about the decorations and studying them so they can bring those ideas home with them,” said Picard.
The museum director noted for the first time a family has volunteered its services to help decorate for the event.
“We go every year and enjoy taking our daughter to visit with their Victorian Santa, and we love seeing all the primitive decorations. We normally decorate our 200-year-old house in a similar fashion,” said Benjamin Velevitch of Westfield, who attends the event with his husband, Joseph Velevitch, and their daughter Zoe, 4.
“This is our way of giving back to the community,” he added.
Velevitch noted they grow many different flowers on their property and plan to use “a lot of natural elements including hydrangeas, dried oranges, different grasses and other things.”
Performances in the village’s Meetinghouse on Saturday will feature Richard Smith as Henry David Thoreau at noon, Richard Spencer’s “Music from the American Traditions of the 19th Century” at 1 p.m., and the Pioneer Valley Fiddlers at 3 p.m. Sunday’s musical lineup includes George Garber’s “From Sackbut to Jazz Tones” at noon, April Grant’s “Songs from a New England Farmstead and Fireside” at 1 p.m., and “Seasonal Songs with a Winter’s Theme” by Paul Kaplan at 2 p.m.
Also, Picard will present two lectures entitled “Belsnickle, Santa’s Other Darker Side,” at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday when visitors will learn how, as legend would have it, Satan was actually one of Santa’s helpers.
Additional yuletide activities include ice sculpting demonstrations and Celtic harp playing on Sunday, as well as daily 19th century crafts featuring a broom maker, tinsmith and hatter; hands-on children’s crafts, petting zoo, and demonstrations of blacksmithing, fireplace cooking, quilting, and spinning.
Children like Zoe can also learn a little more about the history of Santa by visiting with Storrowton’s Victorian version of the “jolly ol’ elf” dressed appropriately for the times.
“The jolly Santa in the red suit, often referred to as the Coca-Cola Santa, didn’t exist until the 1930s. Before that time you would have seen him dressed very regally in a purple robe with white fur or even green with brown fur,” said Picard.
“And back then he would generally announce his arrival with the ringing of bells or a blow of the trumpet,” he added.
The event will end with caroling and a tree lighting both days at 4 p.m. on the Gazebo.
But the old-fashioned fun doesn’t end on Sunday.
The Village will hold Yuletide Open House Tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Dec
. 4-8, in addition to special Yuletide Lantern Light Tours on Dec. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is $5 per person and children under 6 are free.