Photo from flickr user carlogambino
During the Month of December, South Jersey becomes inundated with winter festivals. The problem is many people don’t know about any of them, or just know about the one in their community. I am going to give you a rundown of some of the festivals in the area so that you can choose which ones you want to attend.
Cape May
This year Cape May offers their annual Christmas Candlelight Tours on Dec 6th, 13th and 27th from 5:30 -8:30. Houses, inn, hotels and churches decorate especially beautifully for the tours. There are also several hospitality centers with bakedgoods and refreshments along the route. With the price of a ticket, you are granted admission to Emlen Physick Estate, the only Victorian House Museum. This is a self-guided tour and a heated trolley will be available for transportation. The pricing is $25 for adults and $20 for children. To order tickets call 1-800-275-4278 or order online.
Palmyra
This year Palmyra Nature Park is holding their 5th annual Winterfest on Saturday December 6th from 10:30am-3:30pm. This event will be held rain or shine. Winterfest in Palmyra offers a variety of activities for the whole family. Activities include: horse drawn carriages, live holiday music, a visit from Santa Clause, strolling magicians, a petting zoo, and various wildlife exhibits. The wildlife exhibits are expected to be a huge hit again this year, they include dog sleds, reindeer and birds of prey. This event takes place in Nature Park directly under the Tacony Palmyra Bridge. Shuttle buses will run from Palmyra Station to the festival every fifteen minutes. According to assistant director Pam Reid planning began 8 months ago and they are expecting about 2,000 people.
Medford
This year Medford will be holding their 19th annual Dickens Festival which transforms Main Street into a 19th century victorian English street. The event will be held on Saturday December 6thfrom 6:00pm-10:00pm, starting off with the tree lighting ceremony at 6pm at the gazebo. The rain date for this event is December 7th from 3:00pm-6:30pm. Many activities will be available such as a petting zoo and a live nativity at Tomlinson Park. Santa Clause will also make a guest appearance in a horse drawn carriage. According to the President of the Historic Medford Village Association, they are expecting about 20,000 people to attend.
Mullica Hill
This year Mullica Hill will be hosting their 36th annual Christmas House Tour on Main Street on Saturday, December 6th. The event is sponsored by the Mullica Hill Merchant’s Association. Those who attend are invited to make 11 stops along the route to visit historic homes, churches and other buildings while listening to holiday carolers. Of the 11 stops, 8 are privately owned homes. According to Hazel Dilsaver, the director of the event, they expect over 500 people. She also told me that the route is about a mile long and there will be buses running to transport people. Wile the tour only runs from 2:00pm-7:00pm most shops are open and have good sales from 11:00am-8:00pm. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased from most merchants on Main Street.
Evesham
On Friday, December 12th Evesham Township will host their annual Winterfest at the firehouse on Main Street from 5:00pm-9:00pm. The event is much smaller than it used to be and now consists of a few vendors and pictures with Santa Clause. Ann Macready, the events coordinator for the Center of the Arts in Evesham, told me that Santa arrives on a fire truck and climbs the ladder to the top of the fire house. He then slides down the fire pole into the building to greet the youngsters. They expect about 500 people to attend.
Glassboro
On Saturday, December 13th Glassboro will host their 4th annual Photo Day with Santa Clause at Glassboro High School from 9:00am-12:00pm. The cost is $5 and 2 non-perishable food items for the Glassboro Samaritan House.
Mount Holly
Once again this year Mount Holly will hold their annual Historic Day from 10:00am-8:00pm on December 13th, which includes a reenactment of the Battle of Iron Works HIll and the Mount Holly Historical Society’s Holiday House Tour. According to Alicia McShulkis the coordinator, the battle of Iron Works Hill was a diversion during the Revolutionary War. This battle was one of many diversions that allowed Washington to cross the Delaware River. At around 2:30pm the reenactment takes to the streets and musket fire and cannon fire will take place in the streets. The holiday house tour is a self-guided tour that starts at the library. The tour includes 12 public homes and 7 private homes. The tour starts at 3:00pm.
Be sure to check out my map of the festivals.
