Weekend Historical Happenings: 11/30/13 - 12/1/13 ~ The History Girl!
Liberty Hall Museum will be open for tours on Friday and Saturday! Opening on Friday will be the Christmas tour "From St. Nicholas to Santa Claus," when Liberty Hall will be decorated to celebrate five different styles of Christmas; the Dutch tradition of St. Nicholas, the English tradition of Twelfth Night, The Night Before Christmas, a Victorian Christmas, and a World War II Christmas. Tours start at 10:00 am and leave every hour with the last tour of the day leaving at 3:00 pm. Adults: $10.00; Kean Alumni: $8.00; Seniors, College Students, Children: $6.00; Under Three: Free. Liberty Hall Museum is located at 1003 Morris Ave, Union, NJ 07083. For more information, call 908-527-0400 or visit www.kean.edu/libertyhall.
On Saturday, attend the Sussex County Authors Day and Book Signing from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. The event will feature book signings and sale by local residents whose work has been published by the History Press. Local authors will be present to sign the perfect holiday gift for the history lovers. This is a free event. The public is invited.
Sleighbells will ring at Howell Living History Farm on Saturday when the Farm holds its annual Thanksgiving program featuring free horse-drawn hayrides, a wreath and sleighbell sale, and a special children's craft program.
Horse-drawn hayrides (or sleighrides!) will be offered on a continuous basis from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. There is no charge for the rides, but donations of canned goods will be accepted for distribution to local food banks. At 3:00 pm, donors will be eligible to win door prizes - including bells worn by the Farm's horses.
Sleighbells will be sold throughout the day by The Friends of Howell Farm to benefit the Farm's restoration projects. The bells are made by harnessmaker Mervin Martin, who makes the harnesses and sleighbells worn by the Farm's workhorses. Brass and nickel plated bells will be sold in straps of six, twelve, and twenty bells. Reproduction cast bells, bell door ringers and bell ornaments will also be available.
Other holiday items featured at the annual fundraiser include fresh evergreen wreaths and door hangings; the Farm's flour and honey; and beautiful handmade items sewn by the Pleasant Valley Stitchers.
A children's craft program, "Pine Cone Bird Ornament," will be held on a walk-in basis, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Projects take 20 minutes to complete and cost $3 each. Groups (eight or more) must pre-register.
Stop by for “Thanksgiving Time” at Mrs. Kearney’s tavern, the annual after-the-holiday open house, 19th-century-style, at the Kearney House in Alpine, New Jersey on Saturday and Sunday. Free and open to all, sip hot cider by the fireside, there will be games and fun for kids, and music with Mr. MacGregor, all beginning around 1:00 pm, followed by a special reading aloud with Mr. Nelsen around 3:00 pm. Each day's events will conclude at 4:00 pm. The Kearney House is located at Alpine Boat Basin in Palisades Interstate Park, Alpine, NJ. For more information, call 201 768-1360 ext. 108 or visit www.njpalisades.org/kearney.html.
Admission is $10 (children 12 and under, free). The house is open from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, November 30 and December 1 and Thursday through Sunday, December 5 - 8. The Jacobus Vanderveer House is located at 955 Route 202/206, Bedminster, NJ, behind River Road Park. The entrance to the house is via River Road Park. For more information, call 908-396-6053 or visit www.jvanderveerhouse.org.
M.A.R.C.H. will kick off its free 2013 Old Fashioned Holiday Tours this year at the Foster-Armstrong House on Saturday from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Six specially decorated rooms will also be open on Sunday, December 1, Saturday, December 7, Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
A very special candlelight tour with a luminary light walkway is scheduled for Sunday, December 8th from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. All dates are weather permitting and cookies and cider will be available.
Kids and adults alike are invited to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus when they arrive in Stillwater on Sunday. The much-loved pair will be at the museum of the Historical Society of Stillwater Township from 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
The afternoon includes visits with Santa, horse drawn carriage rides, live music, homemade trifle, museum tours and a bake sale. The event and refreshments are free and open to the public.
The society's museum is located at 900 Main Street, Stillwater, NJ. For more information, call Betty English at 973-903-3941 or visit www.historicstillwater.org.