Explore Holiday Traditions at Midway Village

Explore Holiday Traditions at Midway Village

By Peggy Werner

This holiday season, Midway Village Museum, 6799 Guilford Road, will offer several opportunities for visitors to learn how the holidays were celebrated at the turn of the century.

Alyssa McGhghy, special events coordinator, says she and other staff members are busy getting the village ready for several annual events plus new Lamplight Evening Tours.

“We’re decorating every building in the village this year, which is something we haven’t done in the past,” she says. “We want every building to look and feel like the holidays as they were observed during the Victorian era.”

Lamplight Tours will begin at 6 p.m., weather permitting, on Wednesdays, Dec. 4, 11 and 18. History interpreters will guide the walking tours with a focus on life as it was during Victorian times in rural Northern Illinois.

There aren’t many opportunities to see the village at night, so the lamplight tours will be special, says Midway Village Museum Educator Caitlin Treece.

“It’s just a different way to showcase the village and see it lit up by candlelight and decorated for the holidays,” she says. “It will be an entirely different atmosphere, very quiet and peaceful, and will bring that old-time Christmas spirit back that will remind people of the simple pleasures of the season, not the frantic hustle and bustle we’ve grown used to in modern times.”

Pre-registration is required and the deadline is 5 p.m. the Tuesday before each Lamplight tour date. Meet at Gate B. Tickets are $7/adults, $5/ages 3-17. Tickets are sold online or in gift shop.

The Victorian era was a 63-year period from 1837 to 1901, marked by the reign of Great Britain’s Queen Victoria.

One of the longest running traditions and most popular events at the museum is the annual Victorian Winter Tea, this year from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at the historic Chamberlain Hotel. Guests enjoy a three-course meal and endless tea before making gingerbread houses to take home.

“Most guests dress to reflect the fashions of the time and come with friends and family just to be together and enjoy the relaxing and fun atmosphere of an old-fashioned tea,” says McGhghy.

Registration deadline for the tea is Monday, Dec. 2. Call (815) 397-9112, ext. 104 or email specialevents@midwayvillage.com. Cost is $35/adults, $30/ members and $20/ ages 3-17.

The Civil War is the theme for this year’s Victorian Holiday Celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. Visitors will be immersed in Civil War holiday traditions inspired by Louise May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women, which emphasizes love of family. Re-enactors will host activity stations, dressed in civilian clothing and military uniforms.

“We want people to come away with a better understanding of how the Civil War shaped our traditions today and we also want them to get better acquainted with the literature of that time,” McGhghy says.

Tickets for the Victorian Holiday are $8/adults, $6/ ages 3-17 and may be purchased at midwayvillage.com, at the museum gift shop or on the day of the event.

Christmas in the Trenches is a re-enactment of the remarkable real moment in 1914 when World War I soldiers called an unofficial ceasefire during Christmas week. Enemies came together to decorate, exchange gifts, sing carols and play football.

Local author Ryan Burnes, 22, will talk about his book, Royal Beauty Bright. The novel tells the story of Luther Baker, a chocolatier with autism who becomes involved in the Christmas Truce.

“Since this year marks the 100 th anniversary of the official end of World War I, we’ve seen many books and movies detailing the war’s violence. However, people forget the stunning nonviolence of World War I,” he says.

During the event, re-enactors will decorate the 150-yardlong trench on the museum grounds and read excerpts from letters written by World War I soldiers experiencing Christmas in the trenches.

In addition to a trench tour, visitors will see a narrated re-enactment of a battle and the cease fire. They can sing carols with the soldiers, receive a gift, sip hot chocolate, view war artifacts and play football.

Tickets for Christmas in the Trenches are $10/ adults in advance and $12 at the event, $5/ages 3-17 in advance and $7 at the event; free for members and infants. Deadline for registration and payment is Thursday, Dec. 12 by calling the museum or going online. Even though the event is free to members, they must register in advance by calling (815) 397-9112.

The museum gift shop is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tues. through Fri. and from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It’s a wonderful place to pick up sock monkeys, books, and other holiday gifts. ❚

Ryan Burnes