Christmas festival kicks off holiday season
Jackson Lander, a 3-year-old from Harmony, lets Santa Claus know what he'd like to find under the tree Dec. 25 at the Christmas in the Village celebration in Eldersville Saturday.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
Some of the holiday-themed, handmade goods that were for sale at Christmas in the Village in Eldersville Saturday.
ELDERSVILLE – Ready or not, the browns and oranges of fall will soon be ceding the stage to the greens and reds of the holiday season, and the community of Eldersville has been getting a jump on that impending shift this weekend.
The Christmas in the Village craft festival got underway Friday, continued through Saturday and is set to wrap up today at 5 p.m. Launched three decades ago, when residents opened their homes to show off handmade crafts, it has since grown into a three-day extravaganza where handmade crafts remain the order of the day, along with carriage rides, displays of alpacas and food aplenty.
The focus on handmade fare “is what has made the festival,” said Peggy Strain, a longtime Eldersville resident and the president of the festival, though she prefers to call herself a “team leader.”
“We require that the crafters make what they sell,” Strain added.
About 3,000 people were expected to stop in Eldersville throughout the festival’s three days, according to Dana Caffardo, the vice president and coordinator of Christmas in the Festival. Along with the crafts and food, visitors have been able to check out an encampment of “Mountain Men” that includes Civil War re-enactors, and participate in a Chinese auction. A photography contest is also part of Christmas in the Village.
The festival is spread out through multiple buildings in Eldersville, including the community’s Methodist Church, its fire hall and museum.
The festival wraps up today at 5 p.m. For more information, visit the festival’s website at www.christmasinthevillagepa.com.