‘Homespun Holidays’ Weekends Kick Off at Historic Cold Spring

CAPE MAY – Historic Cold Spring Village welcomes visitors to its Homespun Holidays Season with free admission to special holiday-themed events.  On Saturdays from 12-3 p.m., Nov. 28 through Dec. 19, guests are invited to stroll the festively decorated Village grounds and visit select historic buildings where they can enjoy children’s crafts, musical entertainment, refreshments, holiday shopping and a free performance of the Cape Island Theater Company’s “The Christmas Truce.” Visitors can also enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride for a small donation. The Country Store will be open and stocked with unique holiday gifts including traditionally-processed wool, artisan crafts for the home, books, jewelry, toys and old fashioned candy.
Nov. 28, is a Pirate Holidays celebration, featuring sea shanties with the Sea Dogs and pirate-themed crafts for kids.  Dec. 5, is Wassail day when visitors can meet Father Christmas at the Country Store as well as enjoy traditional holiday crafts and live music from traditional musician Mary Roth.  Dec. 12 will feature children’s crafts and Dec. 19 will feature gingerbread decorating.
When the holiday shopping and sightseeing is done, families can get into the spirit of the season with Cape Island Theatre Company’s free performance of “The Christmas Truce.” Written and produced by Ray Crew, “The Christmas Truce” will be presented at the Cold Spring Grange Restaurant on the grounds of Historic Cold Spring Village at 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays from Nov. 28 through Dec. 19. In “The Christmas Truce,” it’s Christmas Eve in Cape May, 1994, but not for local farmer and World War Two veteran Harry Berger. Harry finds himself with one foot in the present and the other in past. He knows his time is short and he knows there is a life-long secret he must finally tell the woman he loves. Seating for “The Christmas Truce” is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. For more information please call the Historic Cold Spring Village office at 609-898-2300, ext. 10. “The Christmas Truce” is supported by a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
And on October 11th and 25th, join professional paranormal research teams on a ghost investigation in five Village buildings and use digital photography and sound recording equipment to try and capture evidence of the supernatural.  Historic Cold Spring Village is a non-profit, open air living history museum that portrays the daily life of a rural South Jersey community of the Early American era. Its mission includes the preservation of 26 historic Cape May County buildings, history education and promoting heritage tourism. The Village is a museum for all seasons. During the summer months, interpreters and artisans in period clothing preserve the trades, crafts and heritage of “the age of homespun.” From October to May, the emphasis is on teaching history through school trips to the Village, classroom visits by the education department and interactive teleconferences with schools throughout the United States. The Village is located on Route 9, three miles north of Victorian Cape May and a mile and a half west of the southern end of the Garden State Parkway. For more information, call (609) 898-2300, ext. 10 or visit the Village website at www.hcsv.org.