CHRISTMAS IN CAPE MAY 7983

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Christmas Will Have A Victorian Flavor

The Victorians celebrated Christmas with unsurpassed enthusiasm, so it is appropriate that Cape May, a National Landmark Victorian Village, celebrate the joyous holiday season in special style. The entire village will be decorated for the season, from the Victorian porches of the historic district to the gaslights of the Washington Street Shopping Mall. Strolling carollers will add to the festivities, and many Victorian guest houses and country inns, as well as modern motels, will be open to welcome guests at the special season. A Christmas Bazaar and Crafts Festival will begin the seasonal events Friday and Saturday, Nov. 25 and 26, sponsored by the Cape May County Art League. Come to the League’s Carriage House headquarters on the Physick Estate at

thtonion New* Service Uty of the Library of Congrtu The first picture published in America of a Santa Claus figure with a Christmas tree was this title page of an 1845 children’s book.

1050 Washington Street to purchase handcrafted original items suitable as gifts, particularly for the holidays. The bazaar will be held 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on both days. Stroll the tree-lined streets of the Historic District of Cape May with a special guide on the MidAtlantic Center for the Arts Walking Tour on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 27, at 10 a.m. and learn about “the nation’s oldest seaside resort” and its distinctive Victorian architecture and history. The walking tours will be offered every Sunday during December, except Dec. 25, at 10 a.m. DECORATING FOR Christmas will be the subject of a workshop sponsored by the Cape May County Art League at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30. Roberta Baker, local Art League member and crafts expert, will give lessons on how to make calico cats to add to the festive decorations for your home or for holiday gifts. v The workshop will take place at the Art League headquarters, the Carriage House of the Physick Estate, 1050 Washington St. The traditional Community Christmas Parade of neighboring West Cape May will inaugurate the holiday season at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. Floats, bands, fire trucks, clowns, and old-fashioned festivities will begin the Christmas season for the Cape May area. The Washington Street Shopping Mall will be

decorated in its festive finery with evergreen swags and garlanded gaslights, and shoppers will welcome evening hours for convenient gift shopping from Dec. 9 through Christmas eve, when the proprietors will remain open until 9 p.m. OPEN HOUSE at four Victorian “cottages” will feature Christmas decorations forall ages and interests on the new “Cottages at Christmastime” tours. Beginning Wednesday, Dec. 7, and continuing on Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 to 4 p.m. through Dec. 21, and on Tuesday, December 27 and Thursday December 29 from 7 to 9 p.m., four of Cape May’s year ‘round “bed and breakfast” inns will host open house tours for visitors to view their special Christmas decorations.

At The Brass Bed, 719 Columbia, a children’s Christmas will be the highlight, with toys and games, a train and a dollhouse. Captain Mey’s Inn, 202 Ocean St., will decorate in the traditional Dutch fashion with some of the European holiday decorations which early settlers brought to the New World. The Queen Victoria, 102 Ocean St., will display three Christmas trees from the early, middle and late Victorian period, in honor of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, who introduced the custom of the Christmas tree to England in 1841. At the Victorian Rose, 715 Columbia Ave., a floral theme for decorations will be featured, with live, silk, and dried flowers providing a romantic setting for the holidays. Tickets for

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for all your cross stitch and needlecraft needs. • Country Style Gifts Too •

523 BROADWAY, V. CAPE NAY 884-5785

admission to the four inns will be available at each inn, at $6 for adults «fnd $3 for children 12 and under. A Christmas Carol, that classic story by Charles Dickens, will be performed by the Jersey Cape Perfor ming Arts Guild, directed by Adriana Warner, at City Hall Auditorium on Friday, Dec. 9 4 16 Saturday, December 10 and 17, Wednesday, Dec. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 29 at 8:30 p.m., with a matinee Saturday, Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. Tickets wOUbe $4.50 for adults, $2.Sr*for students and senior citizens. On Saturdays and Sundays in December, Santa Claus will be available on the Washington Street Shopping Mall to listen to special requests from children of all ages. Strolling bands and carollers will add to the festive nature of the shopping district. BOARDWALK CHRISTMAS Fantasy is the title of the benefit con- ' cert presented by the Joanne Reagan Dance Studios Saturday, Dec. 17 and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. at Convention Hall on the Boardwalk. The pro,ceeds of the seasonal special will benefit the Cape May City Library Building Fund. A variety of Christmas favorites in song ' and dance will be offered, including Act II of The Nutcracker. and a colorful high-stepping Christmas production in tribute to the Rockettes. “The Arabian” will be staged and directed by Pamela Walker, formerly ballet mistress of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, and

the moving finale of “Annie" will feature Kristi Coombs, star of "Annie” and co-stars Sydney Weeks, Sherri Leidy, Sharon Jordan and Becky Snyder. Rounding out the program will be vocal talents of various students singing traditional Christmastime favorites. A special preview of the Christmas Fantasy will be offered on Washington Street Mall on Sunday, Dec. 12. A service of lessons and carols will be performed by the combined choirs of the churches of Cape May on Sunday, Dec. 18 at, Our Lady Star of the Sea Church on Washington Street Mall at 7:30 p.m. This ecumenical event will be a highlight of the sacred Christmas season in Cape May. The annual Candlelight House Tour sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts will conclude the Christmas season events in Cape May on Friday, Dec. 30. From 6 to 10 p.m., several homes, of both Victorian and 20th-century vintage, will be open for guests to tour and enjoy the individual Christmas and holiday decorations. Tickets will be available at the individual homes displaying the traditional tour banner as well as at the Physick Estate, 1050 Washington St. For more information on these and other events in Cape May during the holiday season, contact the sponsoring organizations or the City Welcome Center, Cape May, 08204, 609-884-8411.

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