12/7/07 Deck The Halls, Christmas Chorale, Crosswalks, Town Caroling

We had a wonderful time this past Sunday at Carolyn & Jerry Peart’s “Deck the Halls” fundraiser for Hilliard House. There were piles of fresh cut magnolia, boxwood, holly, and cedar; candles for centerpieces, gloves to protect your hands, clippers, scissors, and a dozens of bows- all ready for our creations. Helpful elves supervised the tables and gave advice on how to make that wreath symmetrical, or which way to lay the pine branches to form a festive swag. Lorie Foley and Wendy Doyle loaned their super-powered imaginations to the Children’s Corner. Our arms were full of fresh decorations be the time we were finished. There was a barn full of sweets, coffee, hot chocolate, and Susan Greenbaum singing Christmas tunes. My new favorite song is “You Are My Holiday”. There are a few custom-made fresh wreath’s left over priced at $45 with all sales going to benefit Hilliard House. Please call Carolyn at 798-9131 if you’re interested.

The Richmond Symphony comes to town this Sunday, December 9th at Duncan Memorial Church to perform Vivaldi’s Gloria and Other Seasonal Selections with the Central Virginia’s Masterworks Chorale. Performances will be at 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Reserved tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and $5 for children, and are available at Cross Brothers or by calling 798-7123.

Randolph-Macon begins their annual performance of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens December 7th, continuing through December 13th. Reserve your seats by calling the box office at 752-7316. Tickets are $2.50 for adults and $1.00 for children.

This Sunday, December 9th the Hanover Arts and Activities Center will host the famous “Ye Olde Ashland Christmas House Tour” with six historic buildings open for tours from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. First Baptist Church will be open to the public for refreshments and concerts throughout the day, and the entries from the Gingerbread House Contest will be on display at HAAC. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 on the day of the tour, and are available at the Activities Center- 500 South Center St. A different local gardening club decorates each house and they really are spectacular. Call Faith Boyle at the Center (798-2728) for more information or visit the website: www.hanoverarts.com.

Monday evening, December 17th, dress warmly, bring a flashlight, and meet us at the fountain by Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. for some Old Fashioned Christmas Caroling. We’ll have a group sing there and then walk to the Arts and Activities Center at 7:30 for refreshments and then we’ll serenade the streets of Ashland from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. This is the stuff that memories are made of: you will remember caroling at Christmas for years to come. Call 798-2728 for more information.

I must applaud the Town for the new crosswalk signs that help us all remember to give way to people crossing the streets. I know that sometimes I’ve been confused about when exactly to yield to a pedestrian. Chief of Police, Tom Clark, says that Virginia law requires vehicles to stop for a pedestrian once they are on the pavement and moving across the street. That said, if you do see someone waiting to cross, and you can safely slow down and stop, I think it’s a nice courtesy. Keep in mind that our small streets are busy with walkers, cars, school buses and trains- the best overall solution might be to take it slow through town.

Cold weather is arriving tonight and we almost have all of our decorations up. If I could make the month of December have 45 or 60 days, then I would. Christmas should be like summer, with lazy days lasting forever. It is over too quickly. I just hope we get some snow…

Have a great week! Call or email me with your stories of life in Ashland: 310-5320, or email ashlandnews@gmail.com. You can also find a record of all these columns at www.ashlandnews.blogspot.com.