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Wintertide celebration to be held this weekend
BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER
MONTEREY - "Join us this holiday season and celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas in Highland County," says Highland County Chamber of Commerce executive director Carolyn Pohowsky. The annual Wintertide Celebration will be held this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The centerpiece of the weekend event is a tree lighting ceremony on the courthouse lawn at the corner of Main and Spruce Streets in Monterey at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1. A holiday musical program and a traditional Christmas story and reading follow the tree lighting. The chamber will have refreshments.
What makes the tree lighting even more special is the opportunity to participate in the Angel Tree program. Festival goers can select a card on the tree identifying a special county child whose Christmas can be made that much more special through an anonymous gift.
Visitors will have some time following the tree lighting to visit the eclectic shops in Monterey open late for their shopping convenience on their way to the 8 p.m. performance of the Pendleton County Community Choir at the Monterey United Methodist Church at the corner of Main Street and U.S. 220.
Santa will be holding his annual audience at the Highland County Craft Shop. The shop will also have live holiday music and refreshments for visitors to partake of while waiting to see Santa or while looking at the shop's many gifts, antiques and collectibles. The Craft Shop is a nonprofit organization that provides space on a consignment basis to regional artisans and antique collectors.
Across the street at the Highland County Public Library, Mountain Magic Makers have even more handmade gifts to choose from. They will be open from 12-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday. Magic Makers are local handcrafters who get together annually to sell their holiday themed products.
Need a tree? Stop in at Hi-Land Video and Gifts. They have fresh-cut Christmas trees and wreaths.
For even more tree selections, travel six miles north on U.S. 220 to the Ginseng Mountain Store. But you'll have to start out earlier in the day or wait till Sunday. The store is open Saturday from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon-5 p.m. Check out the Christmas trees and decorating corner.
Gobblers Nob Christmas Tree Farm south of McDowell has Christmas trees, too. Call (540) 396-6228 for more information.
The Highland Center, south on Spruce Street, is sponsoring its annual Holiday Treasures Market and Open House Friday and Saturday, featuring local artisans and offering a wide range of gift ideas, from Highland wool products to freshly-baked cakes and cookies. The market is open from noon-6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. They'll also have refreshments.
The center is a business incubator, cultural center, theater, commercial kitchen, senior center and conference center. The center is also planning a major renovation in the near future. While looking at the gift ideas and munching on snacks, take some time to peruse the plans for the upcoming renovation of this historic 1922 former school building.
The Highland County Museum and Heritage Center Christmas Open House is next weekend from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8. Come see the special exhibit and program on the theme, "The 1930s Christmas During the Great Depression." The open house will also feature live holiday music and refreshments. The museum shop will also be open. Call (540) 396-4478 for more information. The museum is housed in the historic Mansion House, an antebellum dwelling and late 19th- to early 20th-century travelers' lodge that was once part of a large farm and was an important rest stop along the historic Staunton-to-Parkersburg Turnpike.
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