Family

Will Ginger Snap and Graham Cracker save the day?

Courtesy photo

Way Off Broadway presents ‘The Elves Who Saved Christmas’

Christmas is always the busiest time of the year at The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre. In addition to the Frederick theater’s Mainstage Christmas production, it offers several special events for the holiday season.

This year’s Family Theatre presentation will be a limited run of the new children’s musical “The Elves Who Saved Christmas.”

When Mayor Winnifred Wannatalk outlaws Christmas in Littletown, U.S.A., it’s up to Ginger Snap and Graham Cracker, two of Santa’s elves, to save the day — Christmas Day, to be specific.

“The Elves Who Saved Christmas” is the second installment of Way Off Broadway’s North Pole Series, following the 2015 premiere of “The Great Elf Adventure.” Both stage shows have featured elves who audience members have gotten to know over the years from Way Off Broadway’s annual Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Leading this year’s elf mis-adventure are Megan E. West as Ginger Snap and Joey Leavitt as Graham Cracker. Joining them on stage are Jessica Billones as Mrs. Andrews, Bill Kiska as Postman Morgan and Bekah Burgoon as Veronica. Having recently moved back to the area, Sarah Biggs returns to the Family Theatre stage to take on the role of Mayor Winnifred Wannatalk.

“The Elves Who Saved Christmas” was written and is directed by Justin M. Kiska, who also penned “The Great Elf Adventure.”

“Writing the North Pole shows is so much fun,” Kiska says. “Regulars at Way Off Broadway’s Breakfast with Santa have gotten to know some of these characters because they have been around since the very first breakfast in 2002. In a full stage show, they get to really see these comical elves in action.”

“The Elves Who Saved Christmas” runs Dec. 3 to 21 with performances every Saturday afternoon, a Sunday matinee on Dec. 11, and an early-evening performance on Dec. 21. Tickets for all of the performances are $22 and available by calling 301-662-6600.

Way Off Broadway is at 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick. Go to wayoffbroadway. com to learn more.

FAMILY

Traditional Village Christmas at Catoctin Furnace

The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society will host the annual Traditional Village Christmas celebration, an outdoor European holiday market style event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 3 in the historic Catoctin village.

This year, CFHS is honored to host local blacksmith Jim Maness, along with jewelers, soap makers and other local craftspeople.

Guests can sip apple cider and enjoy heirloom-recipe baked goods. Children can make a holiday craft and have their photograph taken with Belsnickel. Sauced Savage BBQ will be on site all day.

In the 19th and early 20th century, Christmas in Catoctin Furnace included a visit from Belsnickel to the homes of German immigrants. During this visit, two weeks before Christmas, Belsnickel rewarded good children with treats but carried a switch to punish naughty ones.

Catoctin Furnace was built in 1774 by four brothers, James, Baker, Thomas and Roger Johnson, to produce iron from the rich deposits of hematite found in the nearby mountains. The iron furnace at Catoctin played a pivotal role during the Industrial Revolution in the young United States; American cannonballs fired during the Battle of Yorktown came from here. The furnace supported a thriving community, and company houses were established alongside the furnace stack. Throughout the nineteenth century, the furnace produced iron for household and industrial products. Catoctin Furnace ceased production in 1903.

In 1973, The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society was formed by G. Eugene Anderson, Clement E. Gardiner, J. Franklin Mentzer and Earl M. Shankle to foster and promote the restoration of the Catoctin Furnace Historic District.

Catoctin Furnace maintains much of its original layout and structures, which were constructed primarily between 1774 and 1820. The village introduces visitors to the area’s historical importance and heritage resources, providing the look and feel of an early industrial complex yet retaining the freshness and charm of a small community at the foot of Catoctin Mountain.

For more information, call 443463-6437 or visit catoctinfurnace. org.

Courtesy photo

Enjoy a visit with Belsnickel.

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