Historic Cold Spring Village Offer Homespun Holiday Weekends

Historic Cold Spring Village opens its Homespun Holidays season with Wassail Day, Dec. 1, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. The Village paths come alive with the sounds and smells of wintertime at this free event. Select buildings will also be open where guests can enjoy hot beverages and treats served by historical interpreters in period clothing. Visitors can meet Father Christmas in the Country Store from 12-2 p.m. and enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout the festively decorated Village grounds for a small donation.
Holiday traditions continue each Saturday and Sunday in December through the 23rd. The Country Store will be open from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and stocked with unique holiday gift ideas including traditionally-processed wool, artisan crafts for the home, books, hand-knit caps, wooden toys and old fashioned candy. Father Christmas will visit the Country Store weekends from 12-2 p.m., taking pictures and meeting with kids of all ages. Guests can enjoy carriage rides throughout the Village and visit the Welcome Center for a model railway exhibit from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
When the holiday shopping and sightseeing is done, families can get into the spirit of the season with Cape Island Theatre Company’s family-friendly play, “Carl’s Kris Kringle.” Written and produced by Ray Crew, “Carl’s Kris Kringle” will be presented at the Old Grange Restaurant by Tony Clark on the grounds of Historic Cold Spring Village at 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from Dec. 1 – 16. “Carl’s Kris Kringle” tells the story of a dreamer who buys a run- down radio station in a small Southern town only to find that he and his pregnant wife are flat broke a week before Christmas. To solve his problems, he needs a man who hates Christmas to play Santa. What happens next will make you laugh and warm your heart. In lieu of ticket sales, Cape Island Theatre Company will be collecting donations for Volunteers in Medicine of Cape May County, a free medical clinic serving low income residents of Cape May County with no access to health insurance. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information please call the Cape Island Theatre Company at 609-408-6595.
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.