CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 53 This is a special year. Friday, November 27th will mark the 10th Anniversary of Dickens Holiday, a community-wide event that began in 2000. With the Arts Council and the Downtown Alliance as partners, the historic downtown streets of Fayetteville will be transformed with street vendors, musicians, and food booths offering hot spicy apple cider, gingerbread cookies and warm candied pecans in paper cones. This year the planning committee is pulling out all the stops and is offering some great surprises in honor of the 10th anniversary celebration. Those attending will still have the opportunity to ride the old fashioned horse drawn carriages, or stroll through the scenic route of downtown Fayetteville while sipping on hot chocolate. This event is ". . . truly the feel good event of the whole year! It makes everyone feel proud to live here and it is the most beloved celebration of Fayetteville," said Dr. Hank Parfitt, the Chair of the planning committee. The annual candlelight procession will begin at 5 p.m. with attendees gathering in front of the Arts Council to take one of the 5,000 free candles that will be handed out that evening. This year, the procession to the Market House will be led by a bagpiper, the Cape Fear Scottish Clan, costume volunteers, and a carriage A s the weather slowly breathes cooler air upon our community, we are seeing the shades of fall. Summer green leaves have morphed to autumnal yellows, oranges, purples and reds. The transition into the holiday season is upon us, bringing excitement and anticipation. carrying the historical characters of Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens. The traditional Christmas tree will be on display at the Market House and is being decorated by student volunteers from Covenant Love Church, under the leadership of Cassandra Hairre of the planning committee. Fireworks will conclude the evening at 8:30 p.m. This year's event features a Dickens Costume Contest. A costume workshop is planned for November 8. Heidi Bleazey of the Museum of the Cape Fear is heading up the Costume Contest. She says, "The contestants, both young and old, in their Victorian splendor will add so much to the atmosphere and spirit of what the Dickens Holiday is about. There are youth categories, adult categories, men and women categories, and even a Dickens character category." Everyone with an appropriate costume is encouraged to enter. The workshop on November 8th will help contestants learn about fashions from the early to mid-Victorian era as well as some very inexpensive tricks for creating the historic look. The costume contest is supposed to be fun for everyone. For more information on the Costume Contest or the workshop, contact Heidi Bleazey at 486.1330. "Those dressed in 21st century garb should come and see the dazzling dresses and artful accessories that defined fashion in Victorian England, particularly during Dickens's most prolific period of writing," Beazley says. This year's event features the 1st Annual Dickens Holiday Classic Gingerbread Competition which will be held in the Rainbow Room. Participation is limited to no more than six professional cooks, and the theme is North Carolina Landmarks. Strollers will be able to view the professional live decorations beginning at 1 p.m. and the judging will begin at 6:00 pm. Visitors can vote for the People's Choice Award by donating $1 to the chef whose creation they most admire. All donations will go to support the Downtown Alliance. The winners will be crowned at 7:00 pm. The People's Choice winner will be announced at 9:00 pm. and will receive a commemorative plaque. Cash prizes are First Prize $500, Second Prize $200 and Third Prize $75. Don't miss this wonderful event. Mark your calendar now for November 27, 2009. CV For more information on the Gingerbread Competition, contact Richard Kugelman at 910.678.9810; for questions about the Costume Contest, contact Heidi Bleazey at 910.486.1330. ". . . truly the feel good event of the whole year! It makes everyone feel proud to live here and it is the most beloved celebration of Fayetteville." Above | Carriage rides are a fun way to see the sights at the Dickens Holiday event. Opposite | The Dickens Holiday event concludes with a candlelight procession to the Market House.

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