December
FREE
2013
The
News for the Mid-Willamette Valley
Decemb er Events C Local alendar Page 2
Time for Holiday Bazaars
Photo by Rebecca bond
A horse drawn wagon takes part in Albany’s Twice-Around Christmas Parade.
Albany’s 34 Annual Christmas Parlour Tour th
The Town and Country Bazaar is a major holiday event.
by Karen Rogers
Points
December is the fun time of year to experience bazaars. The word “bazaar” is actually from the old Persian word originally spelled “bazar,” meaning a market, an exchange, or a street of shops. What a perfect description! There are two major bazaars coming up and they combine the best aspects of the above definition. The Town and Country Christmas Bazaar starts Friday, December 6 from 12 to 8 PM at the Linn County Expo Center and runs through Sunday, December 8. Saturday hours are 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday from 10 to 4. There are over two hundred booths of hand crafted items and you can visit Christmas Storybook Land. The Expo Center is located 3700 Knox Butte Road in Albany, and you can call 541-926-4314 for information. The Spirit of Christmas Bazaar is December 8 at the Life Community Church, 4900 N.W. Hwy. 99 in Corvallis. It runs from 11:30 AM to 3 PM and features dozens of vendors, raffles, interactive craft booths, door prizes, and horse-drawn carriage rides, from 12 to 2 PM. For the kids there is face painting and a Christmas movie in the auditorium. Proceeds benefit the Corvallis Boxing Club and Trillium Family Services. For info, call 541908-5405. Both Bazaars offer lots of fun and provide a family environment of Holiday cheer!
by Rebecca Bond Albany Visitors Association
You’re invited to the Christmas Parlour Tour on Sunday, December 8, from 2pm to 7pm. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend. There is no need to rsvp but we do encourage you to come early and make a day of it. You could tour through the parlours of the private homes in just a couple hours and be on your merry-making way but then you will have missed a very significant part of the tour that represents such a big part of this tradition. This is not only a parlour tour of private homes, it is a traditional Christmas welcome from our most cherished treasures which include the United Presbyterian Church, Whitespires Church, Carnegie Library, Albany Regional Museum, Historic Carousel & Museum and Monteith House Museum. These “other buildings” often hold a lessprominent place than the private homes. They are the buildings you pass by without notice or perhaps you think, “I should really go inside one day.” The Parlour Tour is that day if ever there was such a day,
High
Photo by Oliver J. Anderson
Christmas fun at the Spirit of Christmas Bazaar.
Albany’s historic Monteith House decked out for the holidays.
because this day they are dressed in their best. This day is their finest hour. Please take time to visit these community gifts and recognize their significance, stature and splendor. Sit for a moment to listen to a story, or a song. Hear the crackle and feel the warmth from the glow of the fireplace and watch the light reflect off the intricate woodwork. Take in the awe-inspiring stained glass windows or 150-year old floors, admire the craftsmanship and imagine how many have stepped here before you. We are fortunate to have these buildings, and their volunteer caretakers. Albany’s tour would not be complete without them. The doors are open, waiting to welcome you inside to share an Albany Christmas tradition. Christmas Parlour Tour of historic homes & buildings, horse-drawn wagon and vintage trolley rides, entertainment and light refreshments are all included in the $15 ticket price, senior, child and group rates available. Contact the Albany Visitors Association for more information (541) 928-0911 or go online to www.albanyvisitors.com.
Photo by Oliver J. Anderson
Christmas comes to Albany’s Historic Carousel and Museum.