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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Santa Suits Up for Carriage Rides by TERI MEDINA Being Santa Claus may be magical, but it takes a lot of practice, too. So when Santa arrives in Fayetteville the weekend before Christmas, he's here to hone his sleigh-driving skills and he's taking Fayetteville residents along for the ride. The annual Downtown Alliance Carriage Rides with Santa are Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18 from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. "Now, Charlie! Now, Jacob! Now, Eli and Mikey! On, Rocky!" isn't the usual chant you hear from Santa Claus, but no need for alarm. Local Belgian horses from Lumber Bridge fi ll in while Prancer and the gang are back in the North Pole training for Holiday Extravaganza Delights by KAREN POPPELE Santa prepares for a carriage ride in downtown Fayetteville. the big day. The horses work their day jobs in the fi elds during the week and get one glorious weekend fi lling in for Santa's reindeer once a year. It turns out that steering a horse and steering a reindeer is very similar. The children do not mind at all. "They love the horses. They want to touch the horses. The horses are very gentle," says Kim Thomas, a longtime volunteer for Carriage Rides with Santa. "The kids have a big time of it. They get candy canes and sometimes Santa let's them ride beside him. They are bundled up with their parents and having a good time. It's special," said Thomas. The sleigh is actually a white, covered hitch wagon decorated for the holidays and accommodates up to six adults. Lap blankets will be provided to keep the chill at bay. It all makes for an enchanting night. "The thing about the sleigh rides is that a lot of people get engaged. They pick that time to take their potential spouse out to ask the question. I've seen three proposals. The couples come back from the sleigh rides so happy and telling everyone about getting engaged," said Thomas. For Dr. Hank Parfi tt, chair of Carriage Rides with Santa, the best part is the wonder in the children's faces. "It begins when mom and dad come up with their little kid, say 3- or 4-years-old, and they are on the ground looking up at Santa, who is a pretty big guy in the fi rst place, sitting on the driver's box of the sleigh. It is over fi ve feet above the ground, he's way up there, and these little kids, who are all bundled up against the winter cold, with their head tilted back, looking at this giant Santa Claus up in the air and they are completely awestruck. It happens every time." The 20-minute rides begin at the Downtown Alliance Volunteer Center at 222 Hay Street and circles through Historic Fayetteville. Adults and children get the traditional children's price of $5 per ride, because as Parfi tt says, "Everyone is a child at Christmastime." Reservations are not taken for the ride, but riders are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance on the day of the event. Any proceeds benefi t downtown revitalization. While it probably will be lovely weather for a sleigh ride together, riders can plan ahead by calling the Downtown Alliance at 222-3382 for weather updates and ride information. TERI MEDINA, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Stephanie@ upandcomingweekly.com Music, song and the joys of the season will fi ll the air when the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra (FSO), under the baton of Maestro Fouad Fakhouri, presents its annual Holiday Extravaganza on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Reeves Auditorium on the campus of Methodist University, 5400 Ramsey St. in Fayetteville. "It's a really popular concert, and we usually have a great turnout," said Kellie Artis, administrative coordinator for the FSO. "We have a couple of things going on that night. We're going to be doing the concert program, and we are going to be doing the sing-along, with the traditional Christmas music selections." Additionally, the concert will feature the Cumberland County Youth Orchestra performing "Bolero" under the direction of Kristin Stiteler, soprano Gail Morphesis and a special performance by the Music Makers Fall Cohort, conducted by Susan Grzesnikowski and Amalia Hutchison. The Music Makers is a program funded by the Youth Growth Stock Trust through the Cumberland County Education Foundation and developed by the FSO with the Boys & Girls Club and Fayetteville Parks & Recreation "… for underserved youth (ages 5-9) designed to illustrate behavioral themes, communication, collaboration and music by making instruments and rehearsing together," according to a recent FSO press release. "It's basically an eight-week cohort that we've done in the fall, and we're going to do it again in the spring," Artis said. "Children have been working once a week with two of our musicians, and they are going to be actually performing what they have been working on all along at the program. They are going to do the 'Toy Symphony' with the FSO." Other pieces scheduled for the evening include "Carnival Overture," "O Holy Night," "Festive Sounds of Hannukah," "Polar Express" and more. A reception follows, with light refreshments courtesy of Sodexo. The performance is separate from the regular symphony season, and tickets are available for individual purchase. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors (65+) and military members, $5 for students with ID and FREE for children 12 and under. For more information, contact Artis at 433-4690 or kartis@fayettevillesymphony.org, or visit the FSO website at www.fayettevillesymphony.org, and let the music of the season help put you in the holiday spirit. KAREN POPPELE, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Stephanie@ upandcomingweekly.com Radio Show www.espnfay.com w WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Hosted by Sully Monday thru Friday 4:30 - 6 p.m. 910.867.4148 DECEMBER 7-13, 2011 UCW 9 Fayetteville & Ft. 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