Wassail Weekend returning to Woodstock
Woodstock’s Wassail Weekend is back this year, including its famous Wassail Parade in the village this coming Saturday.
Mike Johnson (left) and Rob Tracy lead a team of horses in a prior Wassail Parade in Woodstock, Vt. Click here for the 2021 Wassail Weekend schedule. (Photo Provided)
Woodstock’s Wassail Weekend is back this year, including its famous Wassail Parade in the village this coming Saturday.
A host of festivities will take place Friday through Sunday, Dec. 10-12, with the parade starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday as usual. The parade includes 35 entries and starts at the East End, heads downtown, and circles The Green with the crowds looking on. For another transportation option, a free shuttle bus will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, going from Woodstock Union High School to the Welcome Center in the village.
Wassail Weekend didn’t happen last year due to the pandemic, and a virtual parade was held online. People can’t wait to see the real thing again and take part in a festive weekend of holiday fun, said Beth Finlayson, executive director of the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce. And, visitors have been planning on this for some time.
“Everyone’s so excited,” Finlayson said. “People have had their reservations for months.”
She also received multiple calls from people wanting to make sure the traditional parade was back on.
“The people in the parade do such a great job, dressing up both themselves and their horses,” Finlayson said.
On Friday to start things off, Billings Farm & Museum is holding its annual “Christmas at the Farm” activities throughout the day and weekend. Pentangle Arts gets the season’s music going on Friday night, with a concert by “Irish Christmas in America” starting at 7:30 p.m.
There are several new things in the festivities this year. Phil Warren will be giving horse-drawn carriage rides around Woodstock Village, starting at People’s United Bank, on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Additionally, the Chamber is holding its first-ever Gingerbread contest, with winners being announced Saturday. Also on Saturday, Artistree will offer Drop-In Ornament Making from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will also be a craft fair at the Masonic Lodge in Woodstock Village on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Some refreshments will be available on The Green as well. Vicki Ferentinos and Shannon Lee will offer some festive treats, with their set-up adorned by a six-foot tall Nutcracker they built. Also, the Chamber will be serving Wassail punch and the WUHS Hockey Team will offer hot chocolate and coffee.
On Saturday at 4 p.m., Woodstock Rotary continues its cherished tradition of brightening The Green with 400 luminaries for the evening.
For some, this will be their first Wassail Weekend in Woodstock, and that includes Alex Beram and his family. He and his wife, Christy, purchased The Village Butcher earlier this year. He’ll be part of what’s historically been a bustling downtown during the second weekend in December, with shoppers and diners heading around to various businesses.
“Being new to the community, I’ve been so impressed with the events and the organization, just the way that the town and the whole community come together,” Alex said, saying of Wassail: “It should be a great couple of days, and we’re excited to be part of it.”
For the full schedule of Wassail Weekend events, click here for details. To reach the Chamber of Commerce, call 802-457-3555 or send an email to info@woodstockvt.com.
— Gareth Henderson
Resilience for the holidays
Though activity is limited, the holiday spirit is unlimited and still finds expression no matter what is happening in the world.
Holiday lights brighten the evening in downtown Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
When times are tough, our resilient spirit comes out, and that’s the kind of strength people have shown while facing the many obstacles of 2020. Even when the pandemic reached new heights, we still shared our humanity by helping one another and finding ways to uplift the community.
Of course, a good example of this has been the holidays, where old traditions have found new virtual homes to share the joy of the season. Case in point: the annual Wassail Parade in Woodstock, Vermont, has gone virtual, featuring festive photos and videos submitted by the community. It starts online Saturday at 10 a.m. at this link, the result of a partnership between the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce and the High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program. Many familiar faces and favorite costumes will be seen, bringing the fun of the parade into people’s homes.
Understandably, many are still getting used to this new holiday experience, amid the numerous restrictions on gatherings and other rules that are now commonplace. But people are finding ways to celebrate and share the holiday spirit, as seen in the numerous holiday lights set up throughout Vermont and many other regions. The message is clear: Though activity is limited, the holiday spirit is unlimited and still finds expression no matter what is happening in the world. As we prepare for the rest of the holiday season, it is indeed comforting to know that we can still find joy and peace during this time. The best qualities of our human experience are still intact and deeply held within us. On days when those qualities seem in short supply, we can pause and know they are still around, still being expressed — and sometimes, they are just around the corner, waiting for us to embrace them.
— Gareth Henderson