The annual Victorian Holiday Celebration to be held Dec. 2
The Burlington County Freeholders will host the annual Victorian Holiday Celebration at the Historic Smithville Park in Eastampton on Sunday, Dec. 2 from noon until 4 p.m.
The historic village will be all decked out for the holidays and will feature carriage rides, vendors selling gifts and stocking stuffers, live entertainment and more
The festivities will include a special appearance by Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, who will arrive by horse and carriage at 1 p.m. to collect Christmas wishes.
Guests can bring a camera for photos with Santa and other family photo opportunities. Admission and parking are free for this rain or shine event, however, severe weather cancels.
Throughout the day, visitors will find a variety of attractions in the park, including: professional ice carving demonstrations; Dasher’s Holiday Trivia Blizzard Game Show; and free carriage rides beginning at 1 p.m. Children will enjoy Mrs. Santa’s Christmas Sack full of interactive play, holiday stories, face painting and more.
Special performances with a Victorian flair courtesy of the NJ Renaissance Faire will include vignettes from “A Christmas Carol`” and an interpretive reading of “The Night Before Christmas,” as well as appearances by “William Shakespeare” and “Ebenezer Scrooge,” and holiday music by 4 Pieces of 8. Also performing will be the Pine Barons Barbershop Chorus, Jersey Sound Chorus, Les Finesse, and Rice and Beans Jug Band.
Visitors of all ages will be able to shop for the holidays during the event that will feature a variety of vendors selling unique gifts and stocking stuffers, including: handmade jewelry; original artwork; knitted and crocheted items; Christmas centerpieces; handmade soaps and lotions; homemade holiday decorations and craft items; and more.
The Friends of the Mansion at Smithville will offer tours of the 1840 Greek revival building all decked out for the season in dazzling Victorian style. The cost is $6 per person and proceeds will benefit the preservation and restoration of the historic estate. The Friends will also be selling gift items inside the mansion’s holiday boutique.
Visitors are encouraged to bring unwrapped gifts to the event to donate to the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department’s Annual Holiday Toy Drive, as well as holiday cards and letters for those serving overseas.
The Burlington County Division of Parks is hosting the Victorian Holiday Celebration. Funding is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts from a grant to the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Department of Resource Conservation, and Division of Parks.
Historic Smithville Park is located on Smithville Road, just three-quarters of a mile off Route 38 in Eastampton.
For more information, call the Division of Parks at (609) 265–5858 or go to www.co.burlington.nj.us/parks.
