Follow The Star:

Festival Returning To Connecticut’s Christmas Town

BETHLEHEM — An old-fashioned Christmas celebration is being planned for Bethlehem’s 28th Annual Christmas Town Festival. The festival will be held Friday, December 5, from 5 to 10 pm, and Saturday, December 6, from 10 am to 4 pm.

Bethlehem’s Town Green, at the junction of Route 61 at Route 132, is the heart of the festival. The buildings and churches surrounding the green will be decorated and will be brimming with holiday crafters and delicious food. Over 70 exhibitors have signed up to participate in the 2008 festival, filling eight buildings with handcrafted items. New this year will be crafters at Church of the Nativity, just each of the green.

The opening ceremony, on Friday night at 6, will feature a candlelight procession, during which there will be a reenactment of Mary and Joseph looking for shelter. Region 14’s talented choirs and bands will provide festive background music. The First Church of Bethlehem will hold its traditional Advent Service, and Santa will arrive to light the 75-foot tree in the center of the Green.

He will then be available for children to meet him and have their photos taken with him throughout the remainder of the festival.

There will also be hayrides, and holiday music performances throughout the festival. Performers will include The Bell Choirs of the First Church of Bethlehem and The Waterbury-Derby Valley Chordsmen Chorus.

There will also be lunch and dinner offerings during the two-day event, with food sold indoors and out by several town organizations. Ongoing events will also include a Friends of the Library Book Sale of new and nearly new books, holiday story telling at the library, and an ornament making workshop at The Bellamy-Ferriday House.

The Bellamy-Ferriday House will also have a special “Christmas Traditions Past & Present” exhibit, and the theme will carry into the festival. Costumed volunteers and props following the early American theme will be found throughout the festival area.

Bethlehem Post Office will once again offer the Bethlehem postmark, with an area set up for visitors to hand stamp their mail. The post office will have extended during the festival.

A Festival Information Booth will not only offer details about all events and locations, but will also have for sale the limited  edition pewter 2008 Bethlehem Christmas Town. Visitors are encouraged to buy early as the ornament usually sells out.

Admission to the festival is free. Access is provided by free shuttle buses, which travel from the parking area at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds on Route 61, to the center of town and back. There is ample parking for tour buses.

Festivalgoers should note in advance that parking in the center of town during the hours of the Festival is by permit only.

A visit to the 18th Century crèche at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, nearby on Flanders Road — and returning after a three-year break – will also be an option, making a great ending to a perfect winter’s day in picturesque Bethlehem, “Connecticut’s Christmas Town.”

For additional information call Mary C. Paul, 266-6326.