Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 2-8, 2020 UCW 13 COVER STORY Holiday happenings around Fayetteville by MINDY LOVE Note: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, some featured activities may change or be canceled. Please check to ensure the event will be held as scheduled. anksgiving has come and gone, and now the holiday season is officially here. Christ- mas trees, holiday lights and decorations abound around every corner. But what is there to do? Lots, if one knows where to look. So, grab the keys, get in the car and see the sights. Ready to see some lights? Fayetteville- Cumberland Parks and Recreation is proud to announce a COVID-19-safe Christmas in the Park event this season. e holiday lights extravaganza is coming to Arnette Park, 2165 Wilmington Highway Dec. 6-10, 13-17 and 20-22, 6-9 p.m. nightly excluding Fridays and Saturdays. Participants are asked to remain in their vehicles to drive-thru the park to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas. Admis- sion is free for the event. Visit www.fcpr.us. Each year, the Cape Fear Botanical Gar- den features Holiday Lights in the Garden, a self-paced holiday lights garden tour through a beautiful garden setting. e lights are featured on weekends Dec. 3-23 from 6-9 p.m. nightly. e whole garden will be lit with lights and transformed into a winter wonderland, featuring Santa Claus, s'mores, entertainment and more. Additionally, CFBG keeps a full calendar of daytime offerings for kids so parents can bring their children for outdoor activities and education. Be sure to check out the new children's garden and learn about plants and animals while spend- ing a day together in nature. Find out more details at www.capefearbg.org. Another traditional drive-thru favorite is the Lu-Mil Winery Festival of Lights at 438 Suggs-Taylor Rd. in Elizabethtown, just south of Fayetteville. For $10 per vehicle, you can see miles of beautiful lights amid outdoor scenery Dec. 3-28, ursday-Sunday nights. See https://lumilvineyard.com For onstage holiday entertainment, the Gilbert eater presents "e Carols," a witty musical telling the Carol sisters' story as they struggle to get the town's annual perfor- mance of "A Christmas Carol" off the ground. e men are off fighting in the war, but the show must go on! Performances are Nov. 27- 29 and Dec. 4-6. Go to https://gilberttheater. com/ to get the scoop. e Cape Fear Regional eatre's famous "Best Christmas Pageant Ever" will not be produced this year, but be sure to check out the theater's new winter camp for ages 8-14, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Go to https:// www.cfrt.org/ for more information. e Rotary Club Annual Christmas Parade scheduled for Dec.12 has been canceled. Not to dampen the holiday season, the Rotary Clubs of Fayetteville are organizing another thrilling event to replace the parade. e members have decided to take Santa on a tour throughout select neighborhoods because, "if the kids can't see Santa in the pa- rade, why not take Santa to them?" is will hopefully soften the disappointment from the canceled parade. Following a melted snowman cocoa from e Coffee Cup downtown, make your way to the 1897 Poe House for a historical take on the holidays. e 1897 Poe House will be dec- orated for Christmas from Nov. 28 through Jan. 9, 2021. Celebrate the Christmas season with Victorian flair at the annual Holiday Jubilee at the home Sunday, Dec. 6, from 1-4 p.m. e Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex invites you to attend this holiday event where visitors may view the first floor including the parlor, sitting room and dining room, for a small donation of $2 per adult and $1 per child age 5-12 yrs. Occupancy will be limited to 15 people in the house at one time, masks are required and social distanc- ing guidelines will be enforced. e festivities also feature a concert by Fay- etteville's own Coventry Carolers. e Cov- entry Carolers perform seasonal Victorian Christmas songs in realistic period costumes. e members have over 150 years combined choral experience in the U.S. and abroad. e Coventry Carolers will perform at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30. e Christmas concert takes place on the front porch of the Poe House and each set lasts approximately 30 minutes. Visitors are asked to bring their own chair, as seat- ing will not be provided. Admission to the concert is free. Learn more at www.capefear. ncdcr.gov. For out-of-town fun, enjoy holiday events a short sleigh ride away over in Lee or Moore counties. e Temple eater in Sanford is performing the holiday classic, "A Christmas Carol" Dec. 3-20. e ghostly visits of Christ- mas Past, Present and Yet to Come transform the curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge from greedy and selfish to sympathetic and caring. e classic tale weaves a story showing view- ers the importance of kindness and generos- ity in the true spirit of Christmas. See www. templeshows.com. Lace-up those running shoes, grab some antlers and get ready for Moore County's 14th Annual Reindeer Fun Run Dec. 1-14 this year a virtual event. Regis- ter and complete your race at any time during this period. Go to https://reindeerfunrun. com/ for a few pedestrian-friendly course suggestions. No matter the day, Fayetteville and the sur- rounding area have many holiday activities for families and singles. Now is the time to start planning the festivities. is article also appears in the December is- sue of Womens View magazine. ere are light displays in Fayetteville and in surrounding areas like this one at Lu-Mil Winery in Elizabethtown. MINDY LOVE, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Visitors will remain in their vehicles as they drive through the Christmas in the Park light display at Arnette Park. Christmas light displays are being modified to comply with COVID-19 restrictions for mask wearing and social distancing.