It's Christmas time in the city, but if all the bright lights and busy streets (or maybe that marathon series of “It's a Wonderful Life” you couldn't pass up) have you yearning for a small-town Christmas, there's no better destination than Nevada City, California, and its annual Victorian Christmas celebration. This gingerbread-decorated hamlet in the Sierra foothills, about a 2 ½-hour drive from San Francisco, is like a portal back in time. Read on to find out where to stay, eat, and play.

Before Christmas, two WednesdayFor the three Sundays in December, most of downtown is closed to through traffic and opened to a bustling activity. Carolers, wandering minstrels, jugglers, costumed characters, horse-drawn carriage rides, local musicians, including many children, and other local talent perform in the streets while families stroll from vendor to vendor sampling, sipping, snacking and purchasing their wares. The atmosphere is warm and inviting as locals and tourists alike are there.

SantaBaby
At the bottom of Broad Street (the main drag), Santa will be available for photo ops. For $5, children and groups can have their picture taken with Santa. The money goes to a local charity – and photos are not required. If your little ones are camera shy or want to cross seeing Santa twice off their list, any child can chat with old Santa.

Bonus: There's also balloon art and a bouncy castle for the kids. Also, keep an eye out for jugglers and magicians.

Roasting chestnuts over an open fire
In addition to spiced cider, mulled wine and barbecued food, there will be chestnuts roasted over a real open fire every night. Cecil Snow, the city's favourite Victorian chimney sweep, will be stoking the fire and selling the chestnuts. This is not to be missed.

Decorate the halls
In addition to the unique gifts sold throughout the streets by local artists and artisans, the United Methodist Church at the top of Broad Street hosts an open house and craft market. It's the perfect place to escape the cold, enjoy the festive atmosphere with Santa, apple cider, cookies and music, beautiful decorations, and use the restroom! Or visit the Nevada City Craft Fair on Sunday, December 11 In the historic Miners Foundry you will find a wide selection of artisan gifts.

Photo by Erin Thiem, outsideinn.com

Park your car
Parking is very limited and it can be frustrating when a whole troupe of carolers is ready to hit the road, so drop them off and park your car at the Nevada County Government Center, then take the shuttle back to town. There is a $5 fee on the ride into town, but it's free on the way back to the car! Check out the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce website for more information.

Good night everyone
There are many bed and breakfasts, hotels and motels in this area. The Outside Inn is a family and pet friendly motel style accommodation that is within walking distance of all of downtown Nevada City. Or if you'If you're looking for something unique, rent an RV and try the new Inn Town Campground, less than two miles from downtown Nevada City.

The Northern Queen Inn offers reasonable rates and its own Christmas lights – plus you can choose between traditional rooms or little cabins in the pines! It's a little further away than the Outside Inn, but it's still within walking distance of downtown.

What to wear
Dress for the occasion, but wear your warmest clothes. It's not unusual for snow to fall this time of year! Wool coats and capes and top hats are also appropriate! Bring gloves, hats and scarves for the kids, and wear good walking shoes. Most activities are outdoors, and Nevada City is hilly. The main street, Broad Street, is a long, rolling hill, so wear comfortable shoes.

When: Sundays, December 411th and 18th of 1:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m. and Wednesdays 14 and 21 December out of 5pm-9pm

A fairy tale about two cities
The neighboring town of Grass Valley, which is equally charming, celebrates a similar Cornish Christmas that begins the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs through December 20th. Mill Street and Main Street are closed off and the cool mountain air is filled with the scent of roasted chestnuts, kettle corn and pasties. Make it a weekend of super-retro Christmas celebrations and have the best time – experience both events in one weekend. For more information on Cornish Christmas, visit the Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce website.

Have you ever celebrated the season in Nevada City? Tell us about it in the comments below!

–Erin Thiem and Amber Guetebier

All photos courtesy of Nevada City Chamber of Commerce unless otherwise noted

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – (December 2019) The historic Cow Palace is being redesigned again Dickens's Londonnow in the 36th season, The Great Dickens Christmas Market now takes place on Saturdays and Sundays until December 23, 2018, to offer visitors an incomparable, wonderfully immersive holiday experience.

Holiday fantasies at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair

The Big Dickens Christmas Market and Victorian Holiday Party is very special and a festive treat that I want everyone to experience. The Dickens Fair is truly amazing! Illuminated to look like London in the sparkling setting sun, with over three acres of exhibition space, endless amusements, crafts and games, and fine dining and drinking to your heart's content. There are 800 performers, all dressed in period correct clothing, who take classes to learn how to act and speak in Victorian London. I suggest you put on a costume yourself and take in all the magic.

Step inside and be instantly transported to the streets of cheerful Victorian London as it celebrates Christmas in all its glory. Twilight-lit streets lined with shops, pubs, stages and dance halls filled with more than 800 people Victorian characters and the smell of roasted chestnuts and savory fare. Get yours Travel Map When you go in, stop immediately at the post office to secure your free tickets for the Cheeky French postcard review.

The Great Dickens Christmas market is crowded Holiday magic for the littlest guests, The Tinsel Green Children's Area features hands-on craft activities, old-fashioned games of skill and chance, and lively interactive shows. Young viewers will cheer for the hero and mock the villain in the children's melodrama, while Alice is there in the children's melodrama Mad Hatters Tea Party, or learn the tricks of the chimney sweep trade from the London School Miracle Sweeps. A delightful addition to the usual holiday entertainment where young people can get together Old Santa Claus every day at one o'clock Santa Claus stage, Drive with a hand drive adventure carousel, they cheer toy parade, and laugh at the antics of an authentic Brit Punch & Judy Puppetry.

Santa Claus at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair

Guests will welcome the return of the Comic opera “Trial By Jury” by Gilbert & Sullivan in the Victoria & Albert Bijou Music Hall – one of the most successful one-act operettas of all time, telling the story of ridiculous circumstances played out by characters who behave as if the events were completely normal. Be amazed by the world premiere of “Dr. Xander T. Culpepper's Miracle Elixir Show of Miracles“But don’t expect to take any of his miraculous magical tonic; The demand is simply too high! Also on the Pennygaff stagefresh from a year of studying at the Royal Shakespeare Companythe buffoon of London's most hilarious chimney sweep, Jim Chiminey is warmly welcome!

Experience Mr. Dickens' wonderful stories told by hundreds of living history characters on the streets. Meet Mr. Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Oliver Twist, Nancy and many more characters from Mr. Dickens. Queen Victoria walks the streets of London with Albert and her court to mingle with the guests as only the royal family is allowed to do. You can join in Mr Samuel Pickwick He himself and his fellow “Pickwickians” tour London spreading cheer and hilarity. There are celebrities everywhere in the city of London adventure club, or the Dickens Family Parlour, And the large exhibition stage All of this will undoubtedly take you back to a time long ago. Don't miss the brilliant inventor professor Flockmocker's workshop, and the international issue Silk Road Stage for exotic dances and special musical guest appearances.

For the The best of the fairstart a song or two Paddy West School of Seamanshipand then stroll down to Mad Sal's Dockside Ale House where Mad Sal himself will showcase bold new talents as well as tough favorites like the high-kicking dancers of the The Cancan Jewel in the Mad Sal's Dockside Music Hall. The gentlemen of Brass farthing gave the ladies a good, foamy beer with their exuberant songs Gin Alley Sally's Involve you musically in theirsSociety for the Appreciation of Libations and Spirits.' Later in the day the extremely popular and my favorite show production “The Outrageous”. “Perky French postcards Tableaux Revue” Delight adults over 18 with “Gods & Heroes,” a new episode from the personal life of Horatio And Letitia Everard. It's funny that I'm not allowed in with my camera… and neither is anyone else!

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair was originally produced in 1970 by Ron and Phyllis Patterson, inspired by their success Renaissance amusement market, which over time brought them to the San Francisco Bay Area Summer of love in 1967. The next generation, Kevin and Leslie Patterson, now along with their adult sons Andrew and Michael, have been producing the fair since 2000, continuing a 50-year family tradition and three generations of deeply immersive, historically authentic environmental theater. Anyone who loves and misses the authenticity of the old Renaissance fair will be thrilled and thrilled The Dickens Fairbecause thanks to the Patterson family's tireless attention to detail, all that old magic is still there and has never left.

“Every year we are inspired to be better than ever and are rewarded with the delight and surprise of our guests,” says Executive Director Kevin Patterson. “The holiday spirit of Charles Dickens and his London flourishes for several weeks – and we revel in the happiness and good humor of all in attendance.”

There are beautifully decorated shops and shopping carts offering fine crafts, imaginative clothing and accessories, jewelry, toys, and decorations for the holidays. Small accessories that you would never have thought would be discovered with great pleasure by buyers of all ages and desires.

One of my favorite sellers is the Sculptor cart, Rebecca love, who creates unique handcrafted ceramic life masks and body casts. Years ago I commissioned one of each for my wife Sandy, and they are actually some of our most treasured pieces of art at home. It is a pleasure to meet and work with Rebecca. There are also tiles and pottery, in styles and designs that only Rebecca can make. Take a look at their latest African masks.

Even though I don't play, I love it too Stephen Joynes' Fiddle Shop. Based in Palo Alto, California, Stephen performs restorations and repairs and runs his stand out of his love for the instruments. He told me, “I work from home.” My workshop is in my garage and my back yard…this is a retirement job for me…I travel to the West Coast and set up my instrument shop at music festivals. “Spreading the joy of music, especially among children, is a very rewarding pastime.” Anyone can appreciate the workmanship of these beautiful instruments. For more information, check out Steve Joynes on Pinterest.

Steven Overstreet Designs are a supporting pillar The Great Dickens Christmas Marketas well as Renaissance fairs everywhere. “I design my clothing for women to celebrate their inner and outer beauty.” I use color and texture as my fundamental tools. I dye most of the fabrics I use myself, mixing a range of colors not available any other way. Silk velvet is one of my favorite fabrics because of its incredible softness, drape and feel against the skin. “My designs, inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite art movement of the Victorian era, are romantic, sexy and artistic.”

Don & Andrea Thompson'S, Velvet chaos offers all kinds of robes, skirts and dresses as well as cheeky “underwear”. You'll also find unique capes and coats for everyone, including velvet, silk and colorful cotton fabrics. The Thompson's create beautiful wardrobes for discerning adults and beautiful children. Come and enjoy our kindness and joy! The photos here are a small sampling of what is on offer and the ladies who help you try on a garment are charming and skilled at their craft.

When visiting merchants, the “AI R” symbol indicates merchants who handcraft the goods they sell. I encourage everyone to support artists of all genres and media.

WHEN: Open Saturday, November 17, and runs Saturdays and Sundays (and the Friday after Thanksgiving) through December 23, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m

WHERE: The Cow Palace Exhibition Halls, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, CA

PRICES: Tickets are select day. Visit dickensfair.com to reserve your desired date.

General admission (13+): $30.00

Children aged 5-12: $14.00

Children under 5: Free

Group tickets: For groups of 20 people or more, please contact ti*****@gg************.com,
415-668-0525

Active military: 1st and 2nd weekend Free entry:

Active military members receive FREE admission the first and second weekends!

(November 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th and 25th only; photo ID required.)

The Scrooge special (Twilight ticket offer, available at the door only):

Adult Twilight Tickets, $18.00, Children's Twilight Tickets, $10.00, available after 3:00 p.m.:

Parking is available for $12 (charged by Cow Palace).

The fair offers a convenient shuttle service from the Glen Park BART station

More Dickens Fair on social media: Instagram DickensFair, Facebook Dickens Fair, Twitter Dickens Fair

Contact me, Greg Autry, on social media: Facebook Facebook.com/GregAutryPhoto, Twitter @CGARegAnd Instagram gregautry.cga . There are always more pictures!

*All images ©2018GregAutry ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

• 

  Greg is a photographer and writer specializing in fashion, art and editorial. He covers luxury brands for Splash Magazine, including fashion shows, art, charities, stage performances, travel and all types of events. Organizers and producers specifically and repeatedly ask about Greg because his articles and photographs are of the highest quality and are often picked up in national media. Greg is also available for freelance assignments. Author – magazine article and upcoming bio-novel about the artist Julian Ritter. Photographer – commercial fashion and editorial photography. Artist – oil painter

  View all posts

The post The Nice Dickens Christmas Truthful – a Pleased and Extraordinary Christmas For All – Splash Magazines appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Bay Area is a center of artistic expression, attracting artists, writers and musicians from around the world to live, work and create. We present some of the offers here.

Christmas dances (with boa): One of the Bay Area's most beloved holiday dance traditions returns this week for a five-week run at multiple venues across the region. We're talking about Smuin Contemporary Ballet's annual “Christmas Ballet” program, a joyful mix of works that range from elegant to sassy and silly, touching on styles such as traditional and contemporary ballet, jazz, tap, swing and more. This year's show includes world premieres by Amy Seiwert, the company's artistic director, and former Smuin choreographer Nicole Haskins. Also on the program are classic dance favorites by the company's late founder Michael Smuin, including “Bach Magnificat,” “Gloucestershire Wassail” and “Licht bensh'n,” as well as some of Michael Smuin's more playful works, including “Christmas Island,” “Droopy Little Christmas Tree.” and of course “Santa Baby,” a work that features the company’s “longest feather boa in the world.” The program lands at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek with performances Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Future performances include Dec. 1 and 2 at the Sunset Center in Carmel; 7th–10th December at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; and 14-24. December at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. An LGBTQ+ Night performance on December 19th at the YBCA will feature popular San Francisco drag queen Lady Camden (a star of Season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race). Tickets are $25-$119. For a complete schedule, tickets and more information, visit www.smuinballet.org.

Charming, goofy chimney sweep Jim Chimney is among the many characters who populate the Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party, taking place Saturday through December 17 at the Cow Palace in Daly City. (Courtesy of Zoart Photography/Great Dickens Christmas Fair)

The Dickens, they say: We have a hunch that living in a Dickens novel probably wouldn't be nearly as fun as hanging out at the annual holiday event in Daly City that the legendary author inspired. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party, as the event's full name is, returns to the Cow Palace this weekend with its large and bustling recreation of Victorian London. It is packed with attractions for adults and children. The older group can enjoy port and chocolate tastings, enjoy afternoon tea, tackle a Sherlock Holmes Experience mystery, have a pint or two at the Jekyll and Hyde pub or the slightly cheekier Mad Sal's Dockside Ale House and admire the Grand Spectrum of performances on seven stages, from Irish singers to Bedouin belly dancers, comedians and jugglers to actors portraying numerous Dickens characters. For little ones, there's a self-guided children's tour of London, as well as the chance to meet Santa Claus and the popular Punch and Judy puppet shows. Most of the entertainment and interactive content is suitable for both children and adults. Of course there are all sorts of British delicacies to sample, from fish and chips and bangers and mash to meat pies and all sorts of biscuits, chocolate and other sweet treats, as well as a wide range of liquid refreshments. And yes, there are knick-knacks and other items for sale for holiday shoppers. The fair opens Saturday and runs Saturdays and Sundays (and the Friday after Thanksgiving) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Dec. 17 at the Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave., Daly City. Day passes are $25-45 ($18-30 after 3 p.m.), with children under 5 admitted free. A full pass costs $160. Go to dickensfair.com.

Los Cenzontles recently released “Son Con Son, En el Suelo Americano,” a collaboration with Grupo Mono Blanco. (Courtesy of Los Cenzontles)

Freebie of the week: Los Cenzontles, the nationally known East Bay band that specializes in performing and recording traditional and original Mexican roots music, has been busy lately. (Of course, this is nothing new for the group, which is affiliated with the San Pablo Cultural Arts Center and the school of the same name.) You can stream the fruits of their labor online. Last month, a new album was released that marked a reunion with Grupo Mono Blanco, the famous band from Veracruz, Mexico. The two began working together in the late 1980s, when Los Cenzontles (“cenzontles” means “mockingbirds”) started out as a youth band made up of cultural academy students. Their findings helped spark a revival of Mexican folk music called son jarocho. Earlier this year, Los Cenzontles, which has forged musical connections with iconic artists from Linda Ronstadt to Los Lobos and many others, teamed up again with Grupo Mono Blanco and hired acclaimed Cuban musician Kika Valera, a master of the cuatro, a guitar, which the band uses a variety of Latin music styles. The result was the album “Son Con Son, En el Suelo Americano,” which is streaming on Spotify, YouTube and other sites. If you'd like to purchase it (we're sure Los Cenzontles would appreciate it), it's selling for $12 on the group's website. Meanwhile, Los Cenzontles continues to release songs, music videos and musical films that you can enjoy for free on its website as well as on YouTube and Vimeo. Go to www.loscenzontles.com.

The Silkwood Ensemble, including artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, brings the tour of its “American Railroad” project to Berkeley on Friday evening. (Courtesy of Adam Gurczak)

To the west, ho! – in music: What an outstanding convergence of musical forces is taking place on the stage of Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley on Friday evening! As part of its “Illuminations: 'Individual and Community'” series, Cal Performances presents the Grammy-winning Silkroad Ensemble and its current artistic director, Pulitzer Prize-winning singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens, now touring with their project “American Railroad”. The program is designed to illuminate the diverse communities and cultures that contributed to westward expansion with the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. It includes African American, Chinese, Native American, American folk and Irish traditional music, including a piece commissioned by Grammy-award winning composer and singer Cécile McLorin Savant. Participating members of the Silkroad Ensemble include Giddens on banjo and vocals; Mazz Swift, violin and vocals; Wu Man on pipa, Sandeep Das on tabla; Haruka Fujii, drums; Shawn Conley on bass; Karen Ouzounian, cello and vocals; Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion and Michi Wiancko on violin. They will be joined by guest artists Francesco Turrisi, frame drum and accordion; Niwel Tsumbu on guitar; Pura Fé Crescioni, lap steel guitar and vocals and Yazhi Guo on Suona. Performance time is 8:00 p.m., with a panel discussion taking place first on the mezzanine at 6:30 p.m. and a community conversation following the program. For tickets, $38-$90, go to calperformances.org and (510) 642-9988.

The Jupiter String Quartet plays music reminiscent of major civil unrest at a concert Sunday evening at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. (Courtesy of Todd Rosenberg)

Turmoil in the strings: “Upheaval” is the theme the Illinois-based Jupiter String Quartet chose for Sunday night's concert at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame because most of the pieces to be played were composed during times of great unrest. Beethoven's powerful Quartet No. 8 in E minor, one of the famous “Rasumovsky” quartets, forms the core of the program, and is preceded by Irish-English composer Elizabeth Maconchy's Quartet No. 3, inspired by her support of the struggling Republicans Francisco Franco's forces in 1930s Spain. Guggenheim fellow Nathan Shields' new quartet “Medusa” follows, with references to Caravaggio's disturbing paintings that evoke themes of social and political violence. Carlos Simon's “Elegy” is a tribute to black American victims of police violence, and the first half of the program ends with William Bolcom's wistful piece “The Graceful Ghost,” originally written for piano in the 1970s in memory of the composer's father became. Show time is 7:00 p.m. at 2750 Adeline Drive in Burlingame. Find tickets. $25-$58, at musicatkohl.org.

The post Finest Bets: Smuin’s ‘Christmas Ballet,’ Dickens Honest, Los Cenzontles, Silkroad Ensemble, Jupiter String Quartet   appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

This brings new meaning to the term “booth babe.” View Slideshow SAN FRANCISCO – Somehow Victorian England and Christmas have been intertwined in the American mind. This is, arguably, the fault of one Charles Dickens, who wrote A Christmas Carol, the most over-exposed Christmas story ever, and that includes the birth of Christ.

Dickens gets his dues at the annual Great Dickens Christmas Fair and Victorian Holiday Party at San Francisco’s Cow Palace.

The giant hall and exhibit space is filled with sawdust, Victorian tchotchkes and actors willing to indulge in a bit of cockney cosplay. The general public is then invited in to experience olde England while parting with modern American currency.

You might think Charles Dickens and Christmas are the two things American culture hasn’t sexed up, and you’d be blessedly wrong.

The Dickens Fair provides a set of entertainments called “London After Dark.” The diversions are so blatantly, obscenely sexual by Victorian London standards they’d give a governess the vapors from more than 300 yards away. By modern standards that’s somewhere around PG-13.

First on the London After Dark bill was a stop at the storefront run by Dark Garden, a legendary San Francisco custom corset shop.

Few cities could support a handmade corset business – San Francisco demands one. At the fair, Dark Garden boasts an all-volunteer cast of corset models portraying such Victorian archetypes as the “naughty female chimney sweep,” the “naughty female temperance supporter” and the “Scotsman in a corset.”

I asked the owner, Autumn Adamme, if any of the corsets were exact replicas of Dickens-era underwear. She explained that while Victorian-inspired, they were not actually Victorian in design.

To begin with, while Victorian corsets were buttressed with anything from whalebone to cardboard, hers are made with spring steel. Moreover, a Victorian corset would be unlikely to fit a modern human being.

“Women wore corsets from a very young age,” she explained. “So that their bones were a different shape.”

Next up was the French Postcard Tableaux Review. This is so popular, there’s a line to get into the show that’s put on before the show. If you want a decent seat for the saucy stuff, you need to attend the sing-along that precedes it.

I will admit to having gazed upon the female birthday suit. My eyes may have lingered over the odd Frank Frazetta print or pewter Venus of Willendorf amulet. And yet, a special strange feeling comes from watching a man in period garb sing “The Man on the Flying Trapeze,” while waiting to see some skin. I think I would have felt less dirty if I stayed home and spent all evening entering the names of various body parts into Google’s image search.

I needn’t have felt so sordid; the show was less slutty than saucy and sillier than either. The Tableaux Review was framed as a conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Horatio Everhard, with various double-entendres and naughty puns. It was illustrated by models such as a French maid with a peek-a-boo bottom, a pair of topless angels and a group of nymphs and satyrs. If Jim Henson had been into corsetry, this is how the Muppet Show would have ended up.

The post ‘Tis a Very Saucy Christmas appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The Bay Area is a hub of artistic expression, attracting artists, writers and musicians from around the globe to live, work and create. We highlight some of the offerings here.

Christmas dances (with boa): One of the Bay Area’s most beloved Christmas dance traditions returns this week for a five-week run at several area venues. We’re talking about Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s annual “Christmas Ballet” program, a joyous mix of works ranging from elegant to sassy and silly and touching on styles including traditional and contemporary ballet, jazz, tap, swing and more. This year’s show includes world premiere numbers by company artistic director Amy Seiwert and former Smuin choreographer Nicole Haskins. Also in the program are classical dance favorites by company founder, the late Michael Smuin, including “Bach Magnificat,” “Gloucestershire Wassail,” and “Licht bensh’n,” as well as some of Michael Smuin more playful works, including “Christmas Island,” “Droopy Little Christmas Tree” and, of course, “Santa Baby,” a work that features what the company bills as the “world’s longest feather boa.” The program lands at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts for performances at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Future performances include Dec. 1-2 at the Sunset Center in Carmel; Dec. 7-10 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; and Dec. 14-24 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. A LGBTQ+ Night performance on Dec. 19 at YBCA features popular San Francisco drag queen Lady Camden (a star of Season 14 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”). Tickets are $25-$119. Find a complete schedule, tickets and more information at www.smuinballet.org.

The charmingly silly chimney sweep, Jim Chimney, is among the large cast of characters populating The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party running Saturday through Dec. 17 at the Cow Palace in Daly City. (Courtesy Zoart Photography/Great Dickens Christmas Fair)

The Dickens, you say: We have a hunch that living in a Dickens novel would probably be nowhere near as fun as hanging out at the annual Daly City holiday event the legendary author has inspired. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party, to use the event’s proper full name, returns to the Cow Palace this weekend, with its large and bustling re-creation of Victorian-era London. It’s chock full of attractions for adults and kids. The older set can enjoy port and chocolate tastings, sip their way through a high tea, tackle a Sherlock Holmes Experience mystery, knock back a pint or two at the Jekyll and Hyde Pub or somewhat naughtier Mad Sal’s Dockside Ale House, and marvel at the wide array of performances on seven stages, from Irish singers to Bedouin belly dancers to comedians and jugglers to actors portraying scores of Dickens’ characters. For the young ‘uns, there is a self-guided Children’s Tour of London, as well as opportunities to meet Father Christmas and the popular Punch and Judy puppet shows. Most of the entertainment and interactive stuff, for that matter, is suitable for both kids and adults. Of course, there are all kinds of British delicacies to sample, from fish and chips and bangers and mash to meat pies and all manner of cookies, chocolate and other sweet treats, as well as a full range of liquid refreshments. And, yes, there are knickknacks and other items for sale for holiday shoppers. The fair opens Saturday and runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (plus the Friday after Thanksgiving) through Dec. 17 at the Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave., Daly City. Daily tickets run $25-$45 ($18-$30 after 3 p.m.), with kids under 5 admitted free. A full-run pass runs $160. Go to dickensfair.com.

Los Cenzontles recently released “Son Con Son, En el Suelo Americano,” a collaboration with Grupo Mono Blanco. (Courtesy Los Cenzontles) 

Freebie of the week: Los Cenzontles, the nationally renowned East Bay band that specializes in performing and recording traditional and original Mexican roots music, has been busy of late. (Of course, that’s nothing new for the group associated with the San Pablo cultural arts center and school of the same name.) You can enjoy the fruits of their labor streaming online. Last month, it released a new album that marked a reunion with Grupo Mono Blanco, the famed band from Veracruz, Mexico. The two began collaborating in the late 1980s when Los Cenzontles (“cenzontles” translates to mockingbirds) was getting its start as a youth band composed of students at the cultural academy. Their results helped spark a revival of the Mexican folkloric music known as son Jarocho. Earlier this year, Los Cenzontles, which has forged musical bonds with iconic artists ranging from Linda Ronstadt to Los Lobos and many more, reunited with Grupo Mono Blanco and brought in acclaimed Cuban musician Kika Valera, a master of the cuatro, a guitar used in a variety of Latin music styles. The result was the album “Son Con Son, En el Suelo Americano,” which is streaming on Spotify, YouTube and other sites. If you want to buy it (we’re sure Los Cenzontles would appreciate it), it sells for $12 on the group’s website. Meanwhile, Los Cenzontles continues to post songs, music videos and music films that you can enjoy for free on its site, as well as on YouTube and Vimeo. Go to www.loscenzontles.com.

Silkwood Ensemble, including artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, brings the tour of its “American Railroad” project to Berkeley on Friday night. (Courtesy Adam Gurczak)

Westward, ho! – in music: What a stellar convergence of musical forces is taking place Friday night on stage at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley!  Cal Performances, as part of its series “Illuminations: ‘Individual and Community,’” is presenting the Grammy-winning Silkroad Ensemble and its current artistic director, the Pulitzer Prize-winning singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens, now on tour with their “American Railroad” project. Conceived as a way to illuminate the multiple communities and cultures that contributed to the westward expansion with the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, the program features African-American, Chinese, American Indian, American folk and Irish traditional music, including a piece commissioned from Grammy-winning composer and vocalist Cécile McLorin Savant. Participating Silkroad Ensemble members are Giddens, on banjo and voice; Mazz Swift, violin and vocals; Wu Man on pipa, Sandeep Das on tabla;  Haruka Fujii, percussion; Shawn Conley on bass; Karen Ouzounian, cello and vocals; Kaoru Watanabe, on Japanese flutes and percussion and Michi Wiancko on violin. Joining them are guest artists Francesco Turrisi, frame drums and accordion; Niwel Tsumbu on guitar; Pura Fé Crescioni, lap-steel guitar and vocals and Yazhi Guo on suona. Performance time is 8 p.m., with a panel discussion taking place in the mezzanine lobby first at 6:30 p.m. and a community conversation following the program. Find tickets, $38-$90, at calperformances.org and (510) 642-9988.

The Jupiter String Quartet plays music reminiscent of great unrest at a recital Sunday evening at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. (Courtesy Todd Rosenberg)

Turmoil in the strings: “Upheaval” is the theme the Illinois-based Jupiter String Quartet has chosen for Sunday night’s recital at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame, as most of the pieces to be played were composed in times of great unrest. Beethoven’s powerful Quartet No. 8 in E minor, one of the famed “Razumovsky” quartets, anchors the program, and it will be preceded by the Quartet No. 3 by Irish-English composer Elizabeth Maconchy, inspired by her support of the Republicans fighting off Francisco Franco’s forces in 1930s Spain. Guggenheim Fellow Nathan Shields’ new quartet, “Medusa,” follows, with references to the unsettling paintings by Caravaggio that evoke themes of social and political violence. Carlos Simon’s “Elegy” pays homage to the Black American victims of police violence, and the first half of the program concludes with William Bolcom’s wistful rag, “The Graceful Ghost,” originally written for piano in the 1970s in memory of the composer’s father. Performance time is 7 p.m. at 2750 Adeline Drive in Burlingame. Find tickets. $25-$58, at musicatkohl.org.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – (December 2019) The historic Cow Palace will once again be transformed into Dickens’ London, now in its 36th season, The Great Dickens Christmas Fair will run Saturdays and Sundays now through December 23, 2018, offering visitors a delightfully immersive holiday experience without rival.

Holiday Fantasies at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party is something very special and a holiday treat I urge everyone to experience.The Dickens Fair is truly astounding!  Lighting to look like London in the twinkling setting sun, with over three acres of exhibitions endless amusements, Crafts, and Games, along with Fine Food & Drink to your hearts content. There are 800 hundred cast members, all dressed historically accurately and taught, in classes, how to act and speak as it was done, back in Victorian London. I suggest you don a costume yourself, and take in the whole of the magic.

Walk in and be immediately transported to the street of Merry Victorian London as she celebrates Christmas in all her finery. Twilight-lit streets with shops, pubs, stages and dance halls filled with more than 800 Victorian characters and the aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty fare.. Pick up your Traveling Map as you go in, and immediately stop at the Post Office to secure your free tickets  for the Saucy French Postcard Review.

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair overflows with holiday magic for the youngest guests, offering hands-on craft activities, old-world games of skill and chance, and lively interactive shows in the Tinsel Green Children’s Area. Young audience members will cheer the hero and jeer the villain at the children’s melodrama, join Alice at the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party, or learn the tricks of the chimney-sweep trade from the Miracle Sweeps of London School. A delightful addition to the usual holiday entertainments, youngsters can meet Old Father Christmas each day at one o’clock on the Father Christmas Stage, ride on a hand-powered Adventure Carousel, cheer the Toy Parade, and laugh at the antics of an authentic British Punch & Judy puppet show.

Father Christmas at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair

Guests will welcome the return of the Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera “Trial By Jury” in the Victoria & Albert Bijou Music Hall – one of the most successful one-act operettas of all time telling the story of ludicrous circumstances played out by characters who behave as if the events are perfectly normal. Be astounded by the world premiere of “Dr. Xander T. Culpepper’s Miracle Elixir Show Of Miracles,” but don’t expect to walk away with any of his miracle magical tonic; demand is simply too high! Also on the Pennygaff Stage, fresh from a year studying at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the buffoonery of London’s most hilariously silly chimney sweep, Jim Chiminey is welcomed back!

Experience Mr. Dickens’ wonderful stories portrayed by hundreds of Living History characters throughout the streets. Encounter Mr. Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Oliver Twist, Nancy, and many more of Mr. Dickens’ characters. Queen Victoria, along with Albert and their court, walk the streets of London to mingle with the guest, as only Royalty may. You may join Mr. Samuel Pickwick himself and his fellow “Pickwickians” as they tour London, spreading hilarity and mirth. Throughout London town there is the illustrious Adventurers’ Club, or the Dickens Family Parlour, and the Great Exhibition Stage that will all no doubt, take you back to a time long ago. Do not miss genius inventor Professor Flockmocker’s Workshop, and the internationally themed Silk Road Stage for exotic dance and special musical guest appearances.

For the Best of the Fair, catch a song or two at the Paddy West School of Seamanship, and then stroll down to Mad Sal’s Dockside Ale House where Mad Sal herself will be hosting bold new talents as well as bawdy favorites like the high-kicking dancers of the Le Cancan Bijou in the Mad Sal’s Dockside Music Hall. The gentlemen of Brass Farthing lift a frothy good ale with their rollicking songs and the ladies of The Gin Alley Sally’s musically include you in their ‘Society for the Appreciation of Libation and Spirits.’  Later in the day, the extremely popular and my favorite show production, the outrageous “Saucy French Postcards Tableaux Revue” delight adults over 18 with “Gods & Heroes,” a new episode in the private lives of Horatio and Letitia Everard. Funny how I’m not allowed in with my camera …and no one else is, either!

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair was originally produced by Ron and Phyllis Patterson in 1970, inspired by their successful Renaissance Pleasure Faire, which they brought to the San Francisco Bay Area during the Summer of Love in 1967. The next generation, Kevin and Leslie Patterson now joined by their grown sons Andrew and Michael, have produced the Fair since 2000, continuing a 50-year family tradition and three generations, of deeply immersive, historically authentic environmental theater. For those who love and miss the authenticity of the old Renaissance Faire, you will be dazzled and delighted at The Dickens Fair, as all of that old magic is right here and has never left thanks the Patterson family’s tireless attention to detail.

“Each year we are inspired to be better than ever and are rewarded with the delight and surprise of our guests,” says Executive Director Kevin Patterson. “The holiday spirit of Charles Dickens and his London flourishes for several weeks – and we revel in the merriment and good cheer of all who attend.”

There are beautifully appointed shops and carts offering fine artesian crafts, fanciful clothing and accessories, jewelry, toys, and ornaments’ for the holidays. Little accouterments you would never imagine are discovered with regular delight by shoppers of all ages a desires.

One of my favorite vendors is the cart of Sculptor, Rebecca Love, who creates one-of-a-kind hand crafted ceramic life mask and body castings. Years ago I commissioned one of each for my wife Sandy, and they are indeed part of our most treasured art pieces at home. Rebecca is a delight to know and to work with. There is also tile and pottery , in styles and designs only Rebecca can make.  Take a look at her newest African Masks.

Though I do not play, I also love Stephen Joynes’ Fiddle Shop. Based in Palo Alto California, Stephen does restorations and repairs, and operates his booth out of love for the instruments. He told me, `I work out of my house. My workshop is in my garage and backyard…this is a retirement job for me…I travel the west coast and set up my instrument shop at music related festivals. Spreading the joy of music, especially to children, is a very gratifying pastime.’ Everyone can appreciate the workmanship that goes into these beautiful instruments.   See more at Steve Joynes, on Pinterest.

Steven Overstreet Designs are a mainstay at The Great Dickens Christmas Fair, as well as Renaissance Faires everywhere. `I design my clothing for women to celebrate their inner and outer beauty. I use color and texture as my basic tools. Most of the fabrics I use I dye myself, mixing a palette of colors that are not available any other way. Silk velvet is one of my favorite fabrics because of its incredible softness, its drape and the feel of it against the skin. My designs, inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite art movement of Victorian times, are romantic, sexy and artful.’

Don & Andrea Thompson’s, Velvet Bedlam offers all apparitions of gowns, skirts, and dresses as well saucy “under things.”You will also find unique capes and coats for all, including velvet, silks and colorful cotton fabrics. The Thompson’s create beautiful wardrobe for discerning adults and fine lovely children. Come enjoy our friendliness and cheer! The photos here are a tiny sample of what is offered and the Ladies helping one try-on a garment are delightful and expert at their craft.

When visiting the vendors  the `A I R’ symbol displayed by some denotes merchants who  handcraft the wares they sell. I encourage everyone to support Artists in all genres and mediums.

WHEN: Opens Saturday, November 17 and runs Saturdays and Sundays (plus the Friday after Thanksgiving) through December 23, 2018, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

WHERE: The Cow Palace Exhibition Halls, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, CA

PRICES: Tickets are Select-Day. Visit  dickensfair.com to reserve your preferred date.

General Admission (13+): $30.00

Children ages 5-12: $14.00

Children under 5: Free

Group Tickets: For groups of 20 or more, contact ti*****@gg************.com,
415-668-0525

Active Military: 1st & 2nd Weekends Free Admission:

Active Military personnel will receive FREE Admission on First and Second Weekends!

(November 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 only; photo I.D. required.)

The Scrooge Special (Twilight Ticket offer, available only at box office):

Adult Twilight Tickets, $18.00, Child Twilight Tickets, $10.00 both available after 3:00 pm:

Parking available for $12 (charged by the Cow Palace).

The Fair offers a convenient shuttle from the Glen Park BART station

More Dickens Fair on Social Media: Instagram DickensFair, Facebook Dickens Fair, Twitter Dickens Fair

Connect with me, Greg Autry,  on Social Media:  Facebook  Facebook.com/GregAutryPhoto,  Twitter  @CGAGreg,  and Instagram   gregautry.cga . There are always more pictures !

*All Images ©2018GregAutry ALLRIGHTS RESERVED

The post The Nice Dickens Christmas Honest – a Completely happy and Extraordinary Christmas For All – Splash Magazines appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

It’s Christmas time in the city, but if all the bright lights and bustling streets (or maybe the marathon of It’s a Wonderful Life you couldn’t resist watching) have you hankering for a small town Christmas, there is no better destination than Nevada City, California and its annual Victorian Christmas celebration. This gingerbread-trimmed hamlet in the Sierra foothills, about 2 ½ hour drive from San Francisco, is like a portal back in time. Read on to find out where to stay, eat and play.

Leading up to Christmas, two Wednesdays and the three Sundays in December, the better part of the downtown area is closed to through traffic and open to a bevy of activity. Carolers, roving minstrels, jugglers, costumed characters, horse-drawn carriage rides, local musicians including many children, and other local talent perform throughout the streets, while families wander from vendor to vendor sampling, sipping, noshing, and buying their wares. Equally attended by locals and tourists alike, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.

Santa Baby
On the lower end of Broad Street (the main drag) Santa will be available for photo ops. For $5 kids and groups can take their photo with Santa. The money goes to local charity—and photos are not a requirement. If your little ones are camera-shy, or want to check Santa sighting off their list twice, any child can chat it up with Ol’ Saint Nick.

Bonus: There will also balloon art and a bouncy house for the kids, plus keep your eyes out for jugglers and magicians.

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
In addition to the spiced cider, mulled wine, and grilled delights, each night features chestnuts roasted over a real open fire. Cecil Snow, the town’s favorite Victorian chimney sweep, will tend the fire and vend the chestnuts. Not to be missed.

Deck the Halls
In addition to one-of-a-kind gifts for sale by local artists and crafters throughout the streets, at the top of Broad Street the United Methodist Church will host an open house which includes a Craft Faire. It’s the perfect place to come in from the cold, enjoy the festive atmosphere with Santa, cider, cookies, and music plus beautiful decorations, and use the restroom! Or stop by the Nevada City Craft Fair on Sunday, December 11th in the historic Miners Foundry for a great selection of artisans gifts.

Photo by Erin Thiem, outsideinn.com

Park Your Carriage
Parking can is very limited and can be frustrating with a crew full of carolers ready to hit the streets, so drop them off and then park your car at the Nevada County Government Center, then hop the shuttle back into town. There is a $5 fee when going into town, but free for all heading back to the car! Visit the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce website for more details.

To All a Good Night’s Sleep
This area is rife with bed and breakfasts, hotels, and motels. Family and pet-friendly, The Outside Inn is a motel-style lodging within easy walking distance to all of Nevada City’s downtown.  Or if you’re looking for something unique, rent a RV and try the new Inn Town Campground, less then 2 miles from downtown Nevada City.

The Northern Queen Inn has reasonable rates and their own show of holiday lights—plus you can choose from traditional rooms or little cabins in the pines! Though it’s a little farther afield that The Outside Inn, it is still reasonable walking distance to downtown.

What to Don
Dress festive, but don your warmest of apparel. It is not unusual for snow to fall this time of year!  Woolen cloaks and capes and top-hats are appropriate, too! Do bring mittens, hats, and scarves for the kids and wear good walking shoes. Most of the activities are outside, and Nevada City is hilly. The main street, Broad Street, is one long gradual hill so wear comfy shoes.

When:  Sundays, December 4th, 11th, & 18th from 1:30-6 p.m. and Wednesdays December 14th & 21st from 5–9 p.m.

A Tale of Two Cities
The neighboring town of Grass Valley which is equally charming has a similar Cornish Christmas celebration, beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving and continuing through the 20th of December. Mill and Main Streets are closed off and the chilly mountain air is filled with the smell of roasting chestnuts, kettle corn, and pasties. Make it a weekend of uber-retro Christmas celebrations and enjoy the best of times–take in both events over a weekend. Check out the Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce website for more details on Cornish Christmas.

Have you ever celebrated the season in Nevada City? Tell us about it in the comments below!

–Erin Thiem and Amber Guetebier

All photos courtesy of Nevada City Chamber of Commerce unless otherwise noted

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Every year for the past twenty-eight years, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas has crisscrossed the country, bringing to packed venues his authentic remembrance of a way of life that is, alas, no longer with us. A warm, welcoming, rousing and truly family-friendly event, A Celtic Christmas will perform Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 PM at Santa Cruz’s Rio Theatre. For tickets ($34—49) visit EventBrite at the link below; for more information, visit https://www.tomaseenfoley.com/a-celtic-christmas.html.

“When I was a child, it was around the fireplaces of my neighbors’ thatched cottages that I experienced the last remnants of the old communal way of life,” says Tomáseen. “The family was the center of the community then, and the community was the center of life itself, the shining axle around which the great wheel of the universe revolved. Stories, music, song and dance were the spokes of that slowly turning wheel.”

Now in its 28th season of touring nationally, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas recreates the joy and innocence of a night before Christmas in a remote farmhouse in his native parish of Teampall an Ghleanntáin in the west of Ireland in the 1950s — when the neighboring families would gather around the fire to grace the wintry night with traditional Irish Christmas carols, to raise the rafters with the joy of their music; to knock sparks off the flagstone floor with their traditional dances. And, of course, there were stories — they filled the night with the laughter of their stories.

Foley himself was raised in a home that had a thatch roof, stone walls, tiny windows and a flagstone floor … like all his neighbors’ homes, it had no ‘contraptions or installations’ — i.e., no plumbing, no running water, no electricity; and the sole source of heat, a treasured open turf fire. Battery-driven radios were a novelty and viewed by many with suspicion; no one in the parish owned a motor car, and traveled instead by pony-and-trap. Later, having travelled much of the world, Foley found himself returning to those comforting roots: those remembered evenings of song and story, that vanished sense of communal life, and sharing it with audiences through his stories and songs. As he puts it, “A Celtic Christmas seeks to be a window to that old world by attempting to recreate the joy and innocence of just such a night, and, when we succeed, its memory may linger — and even shimmer — long, long after the curtain comes down.”

This year’s show features some of the finest, most authentic exponents of the Celtic arts performing anywhere today, on either side of the Atlantic. U.S. Champion Irish dancer Morgan Martin joins the show this year, adding to a stellar cast of seasoned professionals who enchant with their song, dance, and stories.

Storyteller/Director Tomáseen Foley grew up cradled in a culture unique to the old communal way of life, and continues to share the joy of that upbringing. In conjunction with the Omaha Symphony and other orchestras, he performs in Celtic Journey as well as occasional performances with Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra. He has released two CDs: Parcel From America, and a live recording, The Priest and the Acrobat. Rego Irish Records said of Foley, “He is a master of the Irish narrative and a keeper of the flame for a priceless piece of Irish culture.” For further information, visit: www.tomaseenfoley.com.

Santa Cruz resident and Grammy Award winner William Coulter is the show’s longtime Music Director. An internationally recognized master of the steel-string guitar, he has been performing and recording traditional Celtic and American folk music for more than 30 years. Coulter studied classical guitar and earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California Santa Cruz, a master’s degree in music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, an a second master’s degree from the University of California Santa Cruz in Ethnomusicology. He now teaches guitar at UC Santa Cruz as well as the National Guitar Summer Workshop, Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, and the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. For further information, visit http://williamcoulterguitar.com.

Singer, dancer, and multi-instrumentalist Eimear Arkins hails from Ruan in County Clare, Ireland. She holds eleven solo All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil titles and has competed in all Ireland, European and World Dancing Championships. Arkins has toured and performed with numerous groups including Cherish The Ladies, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, The Paul Brock Band, Trinity Irish Dance Ensemble and Téada. She is a regular teacher at St. Louis Irish Arts and has given workshops at various festivals throughout the world including New York, St. Louis, Canada, Estonia, and France. She released her debut album, What’s Next? in June 2018 to great acclaim, and was awarded Newcomer of the Year 2019 by liveIRELAND. To learn more, visit https://www.eimeararkins.com/.

Brian Bigley has studied the uilleann pipes for over thirty years, and has toured North America and Europe extensively as both a musician and a dancer, appearing in shows such as the Omaha Symphony’s Celtic Journey and Grammy-winning Apollo’s Fire production Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain (the recording of which made it to number three on the Billboard Charts). He competed with great distinction at the World Irish Dance Championships and has placed second in the senior uilleann piping competition at the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil. He produces and tours his show called An Irish Rambling House and has several recordings available on CD. Bigley lives near Cleveland, Ohio with his wife and children. For further information, visit https://www.brianbigleymusic.com/.

The post Tomáseen Foley’s A CELTIC CHRISTMAS Will Play Santa Cruz Subsequent Month appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Every year for the past twenty-eight years, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas has crisscrossed the country, bringing to packed venues his authentic remembrance of a way of life that is, alas, no longer with us. A warm, welcoming, rousing and truly family-friendly event, A Celtic Christmas will perform Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 PM at Santa Cruz’s Rio Theatre. For tickets ($34—49) visit EventBrite at the link below; for more information, visit https://www.tomaseenfoley.com/a-celtic-christmas.html.

“When I was a child, it was around the fireplaces of my neighbors’ thatched cottages that I experienced the last remnants of the old communal way of life,” says Tomáseen. “The family was the center of the community then, and the community was the center of life itself, the shining axle around which the great wheel of the universe revolved. Stories, music, song and dance were the spokes of that slowly turning wheel.”

Now in its 28th season of touring nationally, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas recreates the joy and innocence of a night before Christmas in a remote farmhouse in his native parish of Teampall an Ghleanntáin in the west of Ireland in the 1950s — when the neighboring families would gather around the fire to grace the wintry night with traditional Irish Christmas carols, to raise the rafters with the joy of their music; to knock sparks off the flagstone floor with their traditional dances. And, of course, there were stories — they filled the night with the laughter of their stories.

Foley himself was raised in a home that had a thatch roof, stone walls, tiny windows and a flagstone floor … like all his neighbors’ homes, it had no ‘contraptions or installations’ — i.e., no plumbing, no running water, no electricity; and the sole source of heat, a treasured open turf fire. Battery-driven radios were a novelty and viewed by many with suspicion; no one in the parish owned a motor car, and traveled instead by pony-and-trap. Later, having travelled much of the world, Foley found himself returning to those comforting roots: those remembered evenings of song and story, that vanished sense of communal life, and sharing it with audiences through his stories and songs. As he puts it, “A Celtic Christmas seeks to be a window to that old world by attempting to recreate the joy and innocence of just such a night, and, when we succeed, its memory may linger — and even shimmer — long, long after the curtain comes down.”

This year’s show features some of the finest, most authentic exponents of the Celtic arts performing anywhere today, on either side of the Atlantic. U.S. Champion Irish dancer Morgan Martin joins the show this year, adding to a stellar cast of seasoned professionals who enchant with their song, dance, and stories.

Storyteller/Director Tomáseen Foley grew up cradled in a culture unique to the old communal way of life, and continues to share the joy of that upbringing. In conjunction with the Omaha Symphony and other orchestras, he performs in Celtic Journey as well as occasional performances with Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra. He has released two CDs: Parcel From America, and a live recording, The Priest and the Acrobat. Rego Irish Records said of Foley, “He is a master of the Irish narrative and a keeper of the flame for a priceless piece of Irish culture.” For further information, visit: www.tomaseenfoley.com.

Santa Cruz resident and Grammy Award winner William Coulter is the show’s longtime Music Director. An internationally recognized master of the steel-string guitar, he has been performing and recording traditional Celtic and American folk music for more than 30 years. Coulter studied classical guitar and earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California Santa Cruz, a master’s degree in music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, an a second master’s degree from the University of California Santa Cruz in Ethnomusicology. He now teaches guitar at UC Santa Cruz as well as the National Guitar Summer Workshop, Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, and the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. For further information, visit http://williamcoulterguitar.com.

Singer, dancer, and multi-instrumentalist Eimear Arkins hails from Ruan in County Clare, Ireland. She holds eleven solo All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil titles and has competed in all Ireland, European and World Dancing Championships. Arkins has toured and performed with numerous groups including Cherish The Ladies, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, The Paul Brock Band, Trinity Irish Dance Ensemble and Téada. She is a regular teacher at St. Louis Irish Arts and has given workshops at various festivals throughout the world including New York, St. Louis, Canada, Estonia, and France. She released her debut album, What’s Next? in June 2018 to great acclaim, and was awarded Newcomer of the Year 2019 by liveIRELAND. To learn more, visit https://www.eimeararkins.com/.

Brian Bigley has studied the uilleann pipes for over thirty years, and has toured North America and Europe extensively as both a musician and a dancer, appearing in shows such as the Omaha Symphony’s Celtic Journey and Grammy-winning Apollo’s Fire production Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain (the recording of which made it to number three on the Billboard Charts). He competed with great distinction at the World Irish Dance Championships and has placed second in the senior uilleann piping competition at the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil. He produces and tours his show called An Irish Rambling House and has several recordings available on CD. Bigley lives near Cleveland, Ohio with his wife and children. For further information, visit https://www.brianbigleymusic.com/.

The post Tomáseen Foley’s A CELTIC CHRISTMAS Involves Santa Cruz Subsequent Month appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Photo by Rich Yee, courtesy of Dickens Fair

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair and Victorian Holiday Party will soon return to Daly City’s Cow Palace. This beloved annual event drops you into Victorian London, brought to life by hundreds of costumed players and a plethora of shops, stages, pubs, parties, and memorable performances. You can now buy tickets for the fair happening every weekend between Nov. 18-Dec. 17, 2023.

This annual event started in the 1970s and celebrates the world of writer Charles Dickens, author of A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and other literary classics. The Fair features experiences and characters inspired by and plucked directly from Dickens’ novels, including Father Christmas; Mad Sal; Mr. Dickens himself; and his Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.

Photo by Zoart Photography, courtesy of Dickens Fair

This year brings some new drinking experiences including the Jekyll and Hyde Pub Crawl mystery, in which guests can try five different custom “elixirs” at various drinking establishments; and Port and Chocolate Tasting 4 times a day at the Green Man Inn.

Guests can enjoy a spectrum of performances across 7 stages including Irish singers, English pantomime, Bedouin belly dancers, and juggling. This is also a great time to do some holiday shopping because there will be over 100 shops and vendors selling fine crafts. Finally, the Sherlock Holmes Experience is back by popular demand for those that want to try a delightful new puzzle.

Costumes play a huge role in the overall experience, but don’t feel bad if you don’t want to hunt down a waistcoat or bonnet. Victorian costumes aren’t required but are warmly welcomed. Their costume guide and policies is a must-read before you attend, with plenty of dos and don’ts regarding your attire.

Photo by Rich Yee, courtesy of Dickens Fair

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair invites you to lose yourself in the fantasy of the experience, enjoy a fencing lesson, drink a little absinthe or Turkish coffee and enjoy the ride.

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair and Victorian Holiday Party will be held on weekends from Nov. 18-Dec. 17 from 10am-6pm. The Fair will take place at the Cow Palace Exhibition Halls, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, CA.

General admission all-day adult tickets are $45 and youth tickets (under 13) are $25. You can also count on discounted Twilight tickets after 3pm.

Written by Grant MacHamer and Jamie Ferrell

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