‘Ole Time Christmas’ to honor Eloise Kirk, Billy Gibson
Published 9:57 pm Tuesday, December 11, 2018
A special event of Ole Time Christmas 2018 this weekend will be a ceremony honoring longtime contributors to the museum, Dr. Eloise Kirk and Billy Gibson.
“We will take this opportunity to posthumously honor Dr. Kirk and Mr. Gibson for their dedication and extraordinary commitment to the museum over the years,” said Barbara Tatom, museum director. “They both contributed greatly to sustaining the success of the museum. Their contributions were many and are still paying dividends today.
“We invite the families and friends to join us as these two well deserving people are inducted into the Pioneer Museum of Alabama’s Hall of Honor for 2018.”
The ceremony will be from 5:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday. All friends of the honorees and the museum are invited to attend.
And, although it’s not possible to step back in time, it is possible to experience an old-fashioned Christmas.
On Friday and Saturday, the Pioneer Museum of Alabama will host “Ole Time Christmas” from 6 until 8 p.m. on the museum grounds on Highway 231 north of Troy.
Tatom said the museum’s historic buildings have been decorated the old-fashioned way and the grounds are beautifully lighted making Ole Time Christmas a unique experience for all ages.
“Ole Time Christmas 2018 is a tradition-filled event with colorful decorations, holiday treats, storytelling, ornament making, Christmas music, Santa Claus and lots of holiday fun,” Tatom said. “And, it’s a wonderful time and place to make lasting memories. Children will long remember hearing Christmas stories read to them by storyteller Karen Wanamaker in the one-room schoolhouse.”
Roasting marshmallows over hot coals in the fireplace at the Demonstration Cabin will be a special treat for children and walking along the museum’s lighted pathways to the museum’s indoor village to visit with Santa Claus will also be memorable, Tatom said.
And, no Christmas event is complete without holiday music.
Kat Deal, guitarist/vocalist, will provide music from 6 until 8 p.m. on Friday and from 7 until 8 p.m. on Saturday. Deal is a 2018 graduate of Charles Henderson High School and is a popular performer at local events.
On Saturday night, the Montgomery Dulcimer Players will be the featured entertainment from 6 until 7 p.m.
The Ole Time Car Show will be an added attraction of Ole Time Christmas. 2018 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 15. The Ole Time Car Show will feature restored antique automobiles. Registration for the Ole Time Car Show begins at 9 a.m. A registration fee is charged.
Admission to Ole Time Christmas is $10 for adults and $9 for seniors and military. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free.