Victoria Hall will be slowly turning into a Winter Wonderland this week.
Starting on Monday, November 18, 2019 three staff members are starting to assemble the display outside of Victoria Hall on King Street and will have it completed for 24th season of Christmas Magic which kicks off this Friday starting at 6 p.m.
Town Supervisor of Building Maintenance, Sally LeBlanc said Kellie Tapscott, David Storms, and Mitchell Scott have been working on creating a scene since September.
Some of the buildings that will adorn the front of Victoria Hall will be a bake shop, toy store, church, guard houses, an archway and more.
“When they got the “go” they just went with it and designed it,” said LeBlanc.
“They’ve done a lot of work, I’m very proud of them.”
“It looks fantastic.”
Something like this has never been done before and throughout the week they will be installing the display.
In the foyer there is a fireplace display, complete with a chair and stockings that makes a great place for family photos.
Christmas Magic begins with a ‘Lighting Up Ceremony’ gathering around the grand Victoria Hall on King Street. As the kick off to the ceremony, Victoria Hall itself will reveal a new ‘Winter Wonderland’ theme proudly designed by the Town of Cobourg’s Maintenance staff.
The guided walk will begin shortly after showcasing over 180,000 lights from Victoria Hall, down Second Street, through Rotary Harbourfront Park and concluding in Victoria Park.
The walk will highlight a connection to downtown with a variety of displays throughout including spiral trees, holiday cut-outs for the children, holiday vignettes, reindeers and other festive animals. The location is both walkable and drivable. The atmosphere will be set with festive music, a guest appearance from Santa Claus in the Victoria Park Bandshell and horse drawn wagon rides through Downtown Cobourg.
In addition to the many trees lit in Victoria Park a 30-foot Christmas tree will shine with over 3,000 lights, creating a beautiful landmark glittering in the evening darkness. The tree was generously donated by Councillor Brian Darling and his wife Lillian. Festive music will also be blasting with DJ Dominic and a special ‘surprise’ is in store for all those in attendance.
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Don’t Forget to Bring a Non-Perishable Food Item
Everyone is encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank in exchange for a lighted candle from the Cobourg Police Service.
Habitat for Humanity’s Gingerbread Festival
The Habitat for Humanity’s Gingerbread Festival will begin at 5 p.m. on King Street West adjacent to the Northumberland Fare Share Food Bank and will distribute gingerbread cookie kits to children attending the tree lighting event. Baked by the Dutch Oven, these cookie kits have been sponsored by the Town of Cobourg. All proceeds raised go towards Habitat for Humanity’s homebuilding program.
Downtown Cobourg Christmas Market, Lounge Areas, Live Music & More!
The Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) will be featuring a Christmas market open November 22nd from 5-9 p.m. and November 23rd from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. This outdoor shopping market will feature pop-up storefronts, live music, seasonal vendors, and activities for the family, cozy holiday themed lounge areas to sip warm cider and hot chocolate and a gift-wrapping station. For more information visit www.downtowncobourg.ca.
Santa Claus Appearance
Santa will make his first appearance at the Victoria Park Bandshell and will make his way towards Downtown Cobourg in conjunction with the DBIA Christmas Market.
The success of Christmas Magic is largely attributed to the thousands of hours contributed by volunteers, Town of Cobourg staff, Councillors and Mr. Davis’ wood working class at Cobourg Collegiate Institute for all wood features. The Cobourg Police also supply a large number of volunteers for the opening ceremony. We would like to thank our generous sponsors including 93.3 myFM, Cameco, G2G Series Inc. (Ginny & Georgia Netflix series), Iron Wood Tree and Landscape, Lakefront Utility Services Inc. and Wharram Tree Service Ltd.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
