Southern Culture
Centre
P. O. Box 24803, Columbia, S.C. 29224
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P. O. Box 24803, Columbia, S.C. 29224
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Abbeville's Fifth Annual Olde South Christmas
The Abbeville Chamber of Commerce Olde South Christmas Committee has met every month since January (and we are now meeting weekly) to plan our Fifth Annual Olde South Christmas. We of the committee are putting a lot of effort into making this the best ever Olde South Christmas.
Please join us in this most enjoyable and important Southern cultural event. Please put the first weekend of December (Friday 30 November, Saturday and Sunday 1 and 2 December) on your calendar. If you did not attend the event last year, we can only say that it was impressive.
There will be numerous authors in town (last year we had eighteen and we expect as many this year). They will be in several shops signing books. Last year we had twelve musicians, not counting the five members of the band Un-Reconstructed, performing at various times. We think that we will increase that number by at least fifty percent this year. Almost all of these musicians will be playing Southern and Christmas music on the Square and around town throughout the day. Starting at 6:00 PM on Friday evening 30 November our mayor, the Honorable Harold McNeil will officially light our town Christmas tree and welcome our carolers, who will perform until 7:00 PM when they will join some of our other musicians for a “jam secession” at the civic center. The “jam” is really a “should not miss” event. The 1860s Civilian Society of Georgia will provide a period dance demonstration at the caroling/tree lighting and at the “jam session”.
Below are listed some of the highlights (but not all events) of the weekend.
The Festival of Trees can be viewed at the Belmont Hotel during the weekend. Many of the re-enactors will set up beginning Friday and the H. L. Hunley should be in town by early afternoon. Refreshments will be served by many merchants throughout the event and the Burt/Stark and Bundy/McGowan Houses will be open for visiting.
Saturday morning begins at 7:00 AM with breakfast, for a fee, at the Old South Cookery's tent on the grounds of the Burt/Stark House and carriage rides begin at 10:00 AM with our parade starting across from the Civic Center at 12 Noon. The Tour of Homes is from 1-5:00 PM. You may visit the re-enactors camp on the grounds of the Burt/Stark during the day for free. You may take your children to the backyard of the Burt/Stark House and let them try their hand at some of the period children games. Various musicians will provide music at various locations around town during the day and there shall be several musical performances on the court house steps during the afternoon.
The re-enactors will perform skits at various times during the day on the Square and at the Burt/Stark House and there will be a period wedding at 6:00 PM in front of the house. Town criers will be on the Square announcing items of interest during the day and you will be sure to enjoy the many period craftsmen demonstrating and displaying their crafts. Storytelling starts at 10:00 AM at the Welcome Center where you can also have your child's picture taken with Father Christmas and purchase a cup of hot chocolate and/or an Olde South Christmas sweat shirt. You may also want to get one our period-uniformed policemen to stop long enough to have a picture taken with him. A ghost walk starts at 6:00 PM which will get you acquainted with some of our less seem citizens. The wonderful “step back in time” day ends with a period ball at the Civic Center beginning at 7:30 PM with the wonderful Southern band, Un-Reconstructed, providing music for your dancing pleasure. For those not used to period dancing, the band provides a dance instructor to quickly teach you the steps. If you have never attended a period dance, this is your chance to be introduced to this pleasant experience.
There will be a church service at 9:30 AM the Burt/Stark House and you may get breakfast before or after at the Old South Cookery tent. Caroling at Trinity Episcopal begins at 2:00 PM. You will want to visit our many unique shops and eating establishments while visiting historic Abbeville. Many of the shops will have extended hours; therefore you can do a little Christmas shopping for some of those unusual items you won't find in the malls.
Get out your period dress and make plans to attend this year. Revolution and Confederate re-enactors, period dressed merchants, period uniformed policemen, period craftsmen, period food, period music, period games, full-size reproduction of the H. L. Hunley, re-enactors' skits, a period wedding on the steps of the Burt/Stark House, a Southern ball, Southern authors, a town stepped-back-in-time: what more could you ask for other than General Lee and General Longstreet? Oh yes, they will be here too and perhaps other famous individuals of our glorious past. Do you really want to miss all of this? We didn't think so. It will please us to see you in Abbeville on the first weekend in December to “Step Back in Time”.
Ball tickets are $25.00 per individual and $40.00 per couple. You may obtain tickets by contacting Robert Hayes at 864-366-2395 or 864-366-6401 or leaguebldg@wctel.net.
Events and times may, of necessity, be changed; but an up-to-date itinerary and event location map will be available during the weekend of Olde South Christmas.
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