Historic Hudson Valley Kicks off Christmas Season

The following is news from Historic Hudson Valley.

A brand-new event at the Old Dutch Church kicks off the holiday season as master storyteller Jonathan Kruk will star in a new performance of Dickens’s ‘Christmas Carol,’ on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 25-26, plus Saturdays Dec. 3, 10, and 17.

Following up on 12 sold-out evenings of his Irving’s ‘Legend’ performance in October, Kruk will once again welcome visitors into the historic, candlelit interior of the circa-1685 Old Dutch Church. This lively re-telling, complete with musical accompaniment, brings to life Charles Dickens’s classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Parking for the event is across the street at Philipsburg Manor, 281 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, where attendees can enjoy complimentary hot chocolate, cider, and cookies while browsing for holiday gifts at the Philipsburg Manor Museum Shop.

Performances are at 4, 5, 6, and 7 p.m. on each of the five nights. Seating in the church is very limited and tickets may be purchased in advance at www.hudsonvalley.org. Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for children under 18. Members of Historic Hudson Valley receive a $5 discount per ticket.
Thanksgiving weekend at Van Cortlandt Manor

At Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, visitors can try their hands at more than a dozen colonial-era crafts and tasks during Hands-On Heritage Crafts on Thanksgiving weekend, Friday-Sunday Nov. 25-27, 10-4 p.m. each day. The grounds will bustle with activity as visitors are encouraged to learn about traditional winter work of the 18th century in an interactive way. Guides wearing period clothing demonstrate each task. Visitors can help make candles, churn butter, and stitch brooms. They can also try their hands at wool spinning, cider-pressing, soap making, cheese-making, and open-hearth cooking. The chance to help Van Cortlandt Manor’s blacksmith forge iron hooks and other items is particularly popular with youngsters.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $6 for children 5-17, and free for children under 5 and Historic Hudson Valley members. Van Cortlandt Manor is at 525 South Riverside Avenue (off Route 9) in Croton-on-Hudson. For information: 914-366-6900, www.hudsonvalley.org.

Candlelight tours in December
Visitors can enjoy evening candlelight tours at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside and Van Cortlandt Manor on Saturdays, Dec. 3, 10, and 17. The first reservation each evening is at 4 and the last is at 8 p.m. Tickets, which can be purchased in advance online at www.hudsonvalley.org, are $14 for adults, $6 for children 5-17, and free for those under 5. Historic Hudson Valley members receive a $5 discount per ticket.

At Van Cortlandt Manor, the evening begins with a tour of the decorated Manor House, which features a harpist in the formal parlor. A guide carrying a candlelit lantern then brings visitors to the site’s Ferry House, where a first-person account of ‘Twelfth Night’ takes place, featuring the Lord of Misrule who leads the festivities. Inside the Ferry House, visitors are encouraged to dance to fiddle music. Afterwards, it’s time to toast the season with cider and cookies near the warmth of a bonfire.

At Sunnyside, candlelight tours bring an 1850s Christmas to life. Visitors are escorted down a lantern-lit path and the house is decorated with holly, evergreens, and candles. Excerpts from Irving’s Christmas tales and family letters are the evening’s theme. Visitors can also participate in caroling. Hot cider is served beside a roaring fire.

Sunnyside, Van Cortlandt Manor, and Philipsburg Manor are open weekends through December and are closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Historic Hudson Valley Museum Shops, including the flagship at Philipsburg Manor, are packed with gift possibilities and special Hudson Valley holiday merchandise that can’t be found at traditional retailers. All are part of the network of sites owned and operated by the non-profit Historic Hudson Valley. Old Dutch Church is owned and operated by the Friends of Old Dutch Church & Burying Ground.