COOPERSTOWN – One of the region’s best-loved holiday traditions, Candlelight Evening, will be held this Sunday from 3 to 7 pm.
During Candlelight Evening, The Farmers’ Museum takes on a magical appearance, decorated in greenery and illuminated by hundreds of candles and lamplight. Now in its 28th year, visitors will enjoy the enchanting experience of riding through the museum in wagons pulled by draft horses with full sets of harness bells. Complimentary wassail, warmed in kettles over campfires, is served throughout the afternoon and evening. Caroling around the Tavern Green Bonfire, the wassail kettles, and in the More House, is scheduled throughout the event. Saint Nicholas, dressed in 1840s attire, will tell stories at the Filer’s Corners Schoolhouse at various times as well as be seen strolling the grounds of the Museum. Members of the Congregation of the Christ Episcopal Church will present “A Living Nativity” at 5:00, 5:20, 5:40 and 6 p.m. at the Morey Barn.
Seasonal musical programs will take place at the Cornwallville Church including performances by the Catskill Chamber Singers and the Catskill Choral Society Girls’ Choir throughout the evening. Also in the Cornwallville Church will be Robert Olson recreating the magic of Charles Dickens at 4, 5, and 6 pm. The Cooperstown Central School band will perform on the balcony of Bump Tavern. Leatherstocking Brass will perform at the South End of the Main Barn.
At Filer’s Corners Schoolhouse, children will enjoy arts and crafts activities from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Todd’s General Store and The Farmers’ Museum Shop will be open with holiday-inspired merchandise and savings. Many of the buildings in the 19th-century village and farmstead will be staffed by interpreters. The More House, a Federal-style house, built in 1818 outside the village of Roxbury, Delaware County, will be decorated, in addition to Bump Tavern and Lippitt Farmhouse.
Hearty, warm food and baked goods will be available for sale in the heated Louis C. Jones Center in the museum’s Main Barn. Candlelight Evening visitors should dress warmly, wear boots, and bring flashlights. Visitors are also encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to place in containers at the museum’s entrances; these donations will be distributed by local food banks to assist area families.
