John Malzone remembers how downtown once was on the day after Thanksgiving.
He shudders at the thought.
“It was so dead,” says Malzone, recalling 1999.
Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the characters of novelist Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” circa 1843, would transform the downtown Fayetteville streets a year later with the inaugural “A Dickens Holiday,” replete with Victorian costumes, Christmas choral groups, downtown merchants opening their shops in holiday decor and folks flocking to the Market House to welcome the yuletide season.
It was conceived by downtown businessman Hank Parfitt and Deborah M. Mintz, then executive director of the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County. It’s been, Malzone says, a downtown holiday tradition since, despite the Arts Council board of directors last year ending its support of the event in favor of “Holidays on Hay … A Season of Light’’ to appeal for what it described as a more inclusive experience for all.
The Arts Council will not present “Holidays on Hay … A Season of Light” this year, according to Bob Pinson, the council’s executive director.
“We are supporting a monthlong interactive holiday lighting that the Cool Spring Downtown District is doing,” he says.
An announcement of the Cool Spring Downtown District plans, according to its president and chief executive officer, Bianca Shoneman, should be unveiled this week.
Something for everybody
The 24th annual A Dickens Holiday, in association with the Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum and Dream Finders Homes & Jet HomeLoans, is scheduled from 1 to 9 p.m. Nov. 24, according to the Downtown Alliance of merchants, with all the holiday and Victorian-era trimmings, including a candlelight procession for the holiday Christmas tree at Hay and Maxwell streets by the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County building.
“We’ll have Tiny Tim, Scrooge, the Cratchet family, the ghost of Christmas past, present and future, and Father Christmas,” says Elaine Kelly, co-chair of “A Dickens Holiday,” along with Parfitt. “We have little dance theaters on the street and doing short vignettes of 'Nutcracker.'”
Kelly estimates between 5,000 to 6,000 will attend.
This year’s event is expanding its geographical footprint to include Franklin Square, Maxwell Street, and Hay Street, according to Alliance organizers. Among highlights will be horse-drawn carriages, trolley rides, a “Ghost of Christmas Past” exhibition at the Transportation & Local History Museum showcasing how Christmas was celebrated in the 19th and 20th centuries as well as Fayetteville-unique Christmas traditions, holiday films at downtown businesses and a “Making Spirits Bright” epicenter at Skyview with holiday-themed Christmas trees, as well as plenty of food vendors.
And not to forget the Candlelight Procession at Sunset, organizers say, as Queen Victoria leads the walk for the lighting of the towering Christmas tree to signal to the community that the holiday season officially has arrived. The holiday magic, organizers say, continues with “Dickens After Dark” with live entertainment and shopping.
Roaming the downtown streets
“The Downtown Alliance, which originated A Dickens Holiday in 2000 along with the Arts Council, is bringing back many of the popular and oh-so-marvelous entertainments this year, including the choral group Oakwood Waits in their magnificent costumes, the Highland Brass Quintet and John Tudor the Magician,” Parfitt says. “Children will perform scenes they have rehearsed for ‘Nutcracker’ and actors from the Gilbert Theater will preview their production of ‘A Christmas Carol.’ The Cross Creek Pipes and Drums absolutely rocked the crowd last year, and they will be big and loud again this year. And a crowd favorite, the 'Dickens Llamas,' will be back.
“Characters from ‘A Christmas Carol’ will roam the streets, including Mr. Scrooge himself, bedeviled by the Ghost of Jacob Marley. There will be individuals and couples in stately Victorian dress as well as shabby street urchins selling flowers.
“And in the interest of public safety,” Parfitt wryly said, “head constable Stafford tells us that he will have a full complement of London bobbies there to make sure everyone minds their P’s and Q’s”.
The candlelight procession, he says, is scheduled to begin at dusk.
“Everyone will gather around the performance stage on Maxwell Street next to the local History Museum for the traditional lighting of the candles in tribute to Queen Victoria, who will express her wishes for a happy holiday season for everyone,” Parfitt says. “She will then lead a procession in her open carriage to the corner of Hay Street and Maxwell Street to light Cool Spring Downtown District’s gigantic Christmas tree. The celebration continues until 9 p.m. with 'Dickens after Dark' and more entertainment, merry-making, and of course, shopping.”
Epilogue
John Malzone will don his Victorian-era garb with the long coattail and his top hat as the town crier for a 24th consecutive year and offer his familiar “You may cheer!” refrain to the Christmas tree-lighting candlelight procession crowd.
“It’s a time when the community comes together,” Malzone says. “Just citizens coming together and feeling good. It’s going to be absolutely phenomenal.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached by email or at 910-624-1961.
