41st Annual Candlelight at Dallas Heritage Village - a holiday tradition

Featuring historic recipes, cooking demonstrations, and holiday exhibits along with the traditional carolers, carriage rides, entertainment and some of Dallas' best food trucks Celebrate the holidays with Texas' earliest residents and see how holiday traditions were observed in the late 1800s on December 8 and 9, 3 - 9 p.m., at the 41st Annual Candlelight Celebration at Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 South Harwood. Featured last year in Texas Journey Magazine, Candlelight was the #1 listing as Texas Sites Worth Seeing in the article "A Toast to Christmas Past - Homes for the Holidays." "Timeless Treats" will be this year's theme, celebrating tastes of the past with historic menus and recipes, featured in each building for visitors to take and try at home. Additionally there will be cooking in select buildings as well as an exhibit in Browder Springs Hall, featuring historic culinary gadgets and gizmos and a place for visitors to share favorite holiday food memories. Attendees will also enjoy the traditional favorites: the Guild Bake Sale, Kettle Korn, and Nutty Things, and food and beverages for purchase will be available from local food trucks and Calais Winery. "Often the best and most treasured holiday memories revolve around food," said Gary Smith, president and executive director, Dallas Heritage Village. "We thought it would be fun to take a look back at historic holiday recipes, discovering past traditions and comparing with the present. In each building we will have printed recipes for visitors to take home and share with their families this holiday season." During Candlelight pioneer and Victorian Texas is brought to life by characters dressed in period costumes. Guests may explore 38 historic buildings, circa 1840 to 1910, traditionally decorated by area garden clubs. Different family holiday traditions and activities are celebrated at Candlelight by interpreters. Visit with Mrs. Freeman in the Shotgun House and Mrs. de Leon in her two-room Tejano home, both preparing for the holidays. At the 1860s Farmstead, see how early Dallas pioneers enjoyed a modest Christmas as the country approached the Civil War. Listen to Cowboys tell tales around the bonfire and stop by the Alamo saloon for a root beer and a game of dominoes. Local musicians, dancers and storytellers entertain at the Renner School (circa 1888), on the Main Street (circa 1900) stage, in the Pilot Grove Church (circa 1890), from porches of Victorian homes and along the candlelit pathways of the Village. Holiday tales will be recounted and seasonal songs sung by strolling carolers throughout the village. Local entertainment groups include Dallas Power House of Dance, Lakewood Varsity Chorus, Mountainview College Band, Sherman High School Chamber Orchestra, Irish Dance Academy, Old Crusty Minstrels, Dallas Storytelling Guild, Shuffling Shoe Cloggers, Satisfaction!, acoustic bands, choirs, and many others. For a complete list of performers and performance times, please visit www.DallasHeritageVillage.org. In Browder Springs Hall and the Law Office, kids may participate in hands-on holiday crafts, including tin punch ornaments and recipe holders. Candlelight's special 19th century guest, St. Nicholas, will be at the bandstand for anyone who would like to visit or snap a photo with him. Attendees may also ride around the Village in a surrey pulled by the Village's loveable Mammoth Jack donkeys, Nip and Tuck ($5 per rider) or a hay wagon pulled by a vintage tractor ($3 per rider). All proceeds from Candlelight, the museum's biggest annual public fundraiser, benefit museum programs at Dallas Heritage Village. General admission to Candlelight (gate prices), Dec. 8-9 is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and $8 for children ages 4-12. Children 3 and under and museum members are free. Tickets purchased online at www.DallasHeritageVillage.org by December 6 are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and $6 for children. Visit http://www.dallasheritagevillage.org/candlelight for more details or call 214-421-5141. Farmers Market, one block north of Dallas Heritage Village on Harwood Street, offers limited free public parking. Self-parking at the Village is available for $5 and valet-parking for $10 per vehicle. Guests with valid handicap tags will be able to valet park for $5. Special Days during the Holiday Season Decorated by local garden clubs and community groups, the Village's 38 historic structures will be open for touring during regular museum hours throughout December. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.; Sunday, 12-4 p.m. (Closed on Monday). With the exception of December 8 and 9, free parking is available at the Village throughout the season. # # # Dallas Heritage Village, located at Old City Park, is a nationally accredited history museum, depicting life in Dallas from 1840-1910. It is one of only five museums in the Dallas area to have this distinction. The grounds showcase 38 historic structures, including log cabins, the pre-Civil War Millermore home, a Victorian Main Street, a railroad complex, an 1860s farmstead with livestock, a 19th century church, school and more. Visitors discover how crops were grown, animals cared for and how family living progressed from log cabins to grand manors and Victorian homes. Dallas Heritage Village is supported, in part, by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and the Texas Commission on the Arts as well as individual and group donations. Dallas Heritage Village was nominated in 2011 and 2012 by D Magazine as one of the top Dallas-area family attractions. It is located at 1515 South Harwood, one block south of Farmers Market in Downtown Dallas. Hours of operation are Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sunday, noon - 4 p.m. The Village is closed the months of January and August. Regular admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors 65 and $5 for children ages 4-12. Children under 4 and members of Dallas Heritage Village are admitted free of charge. For more information call 214-421-5141 or visit www.DallasHeritageVillage.org