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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A Dicken's Holiday Celebrates 200th Birthday of Author by STEPHANIE CRIDER A Dicken's Holiday is something that the community looks forward to each year as much as bargain hunters anticipate Black Friday and foodies long for Thanksgiving Day feasts. This marks the 13th year of this event, and to be sure, there will be plenty opportunities for merriment and memory making. On the day after Thanksgiving, for more than for several years. He created his first one-man show in 1993. It was a performance of A Christmas Carol based on readings that Charles Dickens' regularly performed in the 1860s. Gerald enjoys sharing the works of Charles Dickens with young people and holds workshops and performances in schools and colleges in the Unites States and England. In celebration of his great-great grandfather's a decade, A Dicken's Holiday has transformed downtown Fayetteville into a Victorian-style wonderland. This year, Gerald Charles Dickens, the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens, author of A Christmas Carol, joins the celebration, which lasts from 1-9 p.m. Dickens has worked as a director and producer homes during the holiday season, this year the event organizers have put a spin on the theme. Cumberland County high school students from nine local schools have built London landmarks from gingerbread. Stop by SkyView and vote for your favorite. "The gingerbread competition brings a whole new Christmas will be in attendance, ready to take photos with passersby. Carolers roam the streets and horse-drawn carriages roll through downtown offering a chance to see the local sights from a new perspective. Take a stroll through the many side streets and enjoy the merchants and arts and crafts vendors in Victorian garb. While gingerbread houses are a tradition in many 200th birthday, Dickens will perform two one-man shows. In the process he will play more than 30 characters. The first show is A Christmas Carol and the second show is Mr. Dickens is Coming! Both plays take place at Hay Street United Methodist Church at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. Both performances are free, but seating is limited. "As this year is the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, it's appropriate that we celebrate our 13th annual A Dickens Holiday with actor Gerald Charles Dickens, the great-great grandson of author Charles Dickens, as our special by JASON FLEMING The Fayetteville FireAntz enter the 2012-13 season with high expectations and Gerald Dickens, the great-great grandson of author Charles Dickens joins the celebration this year. dimension to A Dicken's Holiday," said Kinney. "It is truly amazing to see what the competitors are capable of." A favorite of many, the candlelight procession p.m. Find out more about this event at www.theartscouncil.com or www. fayettevillealliance.com. is not the end of the celebration. Once the candles are snuffed out, the sky will fill with fireworks to welcome the holiday season. A Dicken's Holiday lasts until 9 guest," said Mary Kinney, marketing director for the Arts Council Fayetteville/Cumberland County. "What a treat to have him here in Fayetteville — all the way from Oxford, England!" The day is sure to be packed with fun as Father from the Arts Council to the Market House starts at 5:30 p.m. Dickens will lead the procession, but that STEPHANIE CRIDER, Associate Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com FireAntz Season Preview with Assistant Coach Edwards are very optimistic about the upcoming season. They have a new head coach, a new assistant coach and a group of dynamic new players that fans are sure to get excited about. Head Coach Mark DeSantis, 40, makes his debut behind the team," said President/ General Manager Kevin MacNaught. "His attention to detail and commitment to helping us build a championship team were very important qualities that I was looking for when choosing a coach and Mark was the obvious choice." Assistant Coach Sean Edwards, 33, also in his first year coaching the FireAntz, bench for the FireAntz this season. For the last three seasons DeSantis was the assistant coach for the Rapid City Rush of the Central Hockey League and brings a wealth of experience to the FireAntz. During his playing career DeSantis, a defenseman, played 17 professional seasons and scored 131 goals, with 398 as- sists and tallied 2,108 penalty minutes. "We are thrilled to have Mark DeSantis as the head coach of our 22 goals and 26 assists for 48 points in 52 games played. He also notched four goals and an assist in the FireAntz 6-3 victory in the pre-season win over the Augusta Riverhawks. Andrew Smale, Defenseman — Smale will play his first season with the FireAntz in 2012-13. The 6'4'', 220 pound defenseman will pro- vide great size, a swift skating ability and leadership on the blue line for the team this season. "Smale will be one of our key defensemen this season." Assistant Coach Edwards said, "He will log a lot of minutes for us and we're looking for really big things from Smale this year." Marco Emond, Goaltender — Emond begins his first year man- played five professional seasons. The University of Ottawa's most successful cam- paign was in 2004-05 where he notched 15 goals, 22 assists and 87 penalty min- utes in 51 games played. He also was +21 that season. "We are very optimistic about our chances for the upcoming year," Edwards said. ginning his fourth season with the club. Reed, always considered a leader on and off the ice has been named Captain by DeSantis and is looking to have another great season for the club. The Huntsville, Ontario native has increased his scoring output each season with the FireAntz and last season had 40 points in 56 games played. Josh McQuade, Right Wing — McQuade enters his second professional season, both with the FireAntz, and looks to continue the stellar play that he displayed in his rookie campaign. Last year he averaged just shy of a point per game totaling 16 UCW NOVEMBER 14-20, 2012 "Coach DeSantis recruited guys with really good character. Along with that we have guys that have a lot of speed and a lot of skill. We're going to be really fun to watch and have a good chance to win night in and night out." Players to Watch Bobby Reed, Center — Reed is the longest tenured player for the FireAntz, be- hockey season and first with the FireAntz. Fans may remember him from the Huntsville Havoc, last season, where he netted 13 goals in 26 games before get- ting called up to the Bloomington Blaze of the Central Hockey League (CHL.) "Brandon is one of our most versatile guys, he can play all three forward posi- tions." Edwards added, "He's definitely a goal scorer who has great speed and a great shot." Brock Sawyer, Defense — Sawyer is a rookie defenseman for the FireAntz, hav- age over .900 for his career. Brandon Richardson, Forward — Richardson enters his second professional ning the net for the FireAntz this season. The 34 year old goaltender brings a wealth of experience to the team, having played profession- ally since 1998. With over 200 professional wins and a save percent- FireAntz are ready for an outstanding year in 2012-13. Make sure to come out to the Crown Coliseum and join in on the exciting season for the FireAntz this year. For more information on the FireAntz, or to purchase group tickets at a reduced rate visit the FireAntz Website at www.fireantzhockey.com. ing recently graduated from Elmira College in New York. "Brock is an offensive defenseman who plays smartly with and without the puck." Edwards continued, "The maturity that this guys possesses, for a rookie, is remarkable. He carries him- self like a veteran and we are really happy to have him on our team." With a new coach, a new assistant coach and an extremely talented roster the JASON FLEMING, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM