Dickens' Days began on Nov. 25, 2016, with a Christmas tree lighting on Main Street with caroling by the Clinton United Methodist Church Choir.
CLINTON - Dickens' Days began Friday night with a Christmas tree lighting on Main Street with caroling by the Clinton United Methodist Church Choir. Santa arrived on a Clinton Fire Department firetruck.
Just after the Mayor Janice Kovach lit the tree at 6:55 p.m., Santa arrived on Main Street in Clinton aboard Clinton Fire Department's 1926 American LaFrance pumper "Lulubelle" driven by Bill Wintermute and escorted by the fire department's fleet of emergency trucks with red lights flashing and sirens screaming.
The crowd of families and kids cheered and applauded Santa's arrival. Santa greeted all the kids in the crowd and posed for photos in front of the Christmas tree.
Lulubelle was the department's first mechanized engine. The award-winning engine attends many shows and parades. She was refurbished in the late 1980s and, in 2012, several of the department's members overhauled the engine.
The tree was donated by the Wintermute family and was put in place by the fire department.
Dickens Days continues through Sunday.
The schedule includes:
- Throughout the day on Saturday-Sunday - Horse drawn carriage rides
- Throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday - Visits from Charles Dickens' and Scrooge, as well as Father Christmas and storytelling
- Noon-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday - Thomas Johnston (singer/songwriter), along Main Street
Saturday
- 1-3 p.m. - SKIT children carolers, throughout downtown.
- 1-3 p.m. - Rebecca Burrell of Main Street Musicking will be performing.
- 1-4 p.m. Saturday - Boy Scout Troop 288 "newsies" wreaths and poinsettias sale, Dickens Lane and Towne Restaurant
- 2 p.m. - Faith Chapel and Church of Nazarene carolers, throughout downtown.
Sunday
- Noon-2 p.m. - Greenwich Presbyterian Church, caroling throughout downtown.
- 1-3 p.m. - CAST carolers, throughout downtown.
- 1 p.m. - Keith Strunk of River Union Stage, reading of a Christmas Carol.
- 1:30-3:30 p.m. - Victorian carolers.
Stockton Carriages will be providing the horse and carriage rides throughout the weekend.
Performers dressed in Victorian costumes will be strolling the streets of Clinton singing Christmas Carols and stopping occasionally to perform with members of ShowKids Invitational Theatre, Inc. and Clinton Area Stage Troupe. There will also be singers and brass Instrumentalists from Faith Chapel and the Church of the Nazarene performing throughout the weekend.
"Enjoy a holiday celebration with carriage rides, caroling, storytelling, and daily holiday performances," Clinton Guild President Diane Crisman-Race said. "Charles Dickens, Scrooge, and Father Christmas will be strolling the streets of downtown in all their finery for your entertainment.
Santa's workshop, located on the terrace of the Hunterdon Art Museum, will be open during the holiday shopping season, with Santa visiting the workshop from 1-3 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 3, 10 and 17. His shed was donated by Fox Run Storage Sheds, LLC.
"Plan to spend the weekend exploring our shops and galleries filled with holiday treasures, visiting our museums, and dining in our fine restaurants and charming cafes," Crisman-Race said.
The town will be taking part in Shop Small Saturday, including holding a "Selfie Scavenger Hunt Contest" during the weekend.